All The World's A Stage
by dudelove85
Summary: Now with a crew of three, the dynamic of the TARDIS has changed. The Doctor, Jenny and Clara must face their own personal demons if they stand any chance of overcoming the shadowy forces that are stalking them through time and space. Unfortunately for Team TARDIS, tragedy might be waiting around the corner for one of their number... Part of my Series 8 AU
1. Episode 7: All The World's A Stage

_Episode 7 – All The World's A Stage_

 _Chapter 1_

Just over a month had passed since the monster invasion at Coal Hill School. The repairs to the school buildings were well under way and the main complex was scheduled to reopen in just a few weeks. Some parts of the school were safe for use and to avoid disruption to their exams, Year 10 and 11 were utilising the classrooms. That meant that nearly 600 students had to be housed in other schools nearby. It wasn't just the students that had to find an alternate school, the teachers were also in the same position. Thanks to their role in saving the school, Clara and Danny somehow found themselves acting as the head teachers of the school. They were under no illusions, once the school was fully open again a permanent Head Teacher would be found but they were enjoying it whilst it lasted.

Their relationship had begun to blossom after the incident as they both turned to each other for comfort. Unfortunately their temporary roles meant that they couldn't spend as much time together as they would've liked. Clara had remained behind at Coal Hill whereas Danny was working at a school a few miles away. To compensate they were spending most of their evenings at Clara's flat in Shoreditch. Things had quickly progressed and it wasn't too long before the pair was sharing a bed.

One Saturday morning Danny woke up just as the first rays of sunshine was breaking through the curtains. He groaned, stretched his stiff muscles and groped the other side of the bed. He was expecting to find Clara asleep but to his surprise, the bed was empty. Lifting his head off the pillow, he could hear someone clattering around in the kitchen. Smiling to himself he threw off the duvet and padded out of the bedroom.

Once in the kitchen he noticed the cooker was on and there were several rashers of bacon sizzling away in a frying pan. The fridge door was open and he could hear the sound of bottles clinking. Danny casually leaned against the dividing wall, "Hey", he began, "hope you save some for me, I really worked up an appetite after last night".

"Really", Danny froze, that wasn't the voice he was expecting to hear, "I thought I heard some weird noises come from Clara's room last night". The fridge door closed and the Maths teacher's vision was filled with red, "You sound like a wounded walrus by the way", Jenny chuckled, in her hand was a glass bottle full of orange juice, "want a glass?" Danny paled and stiffly shook his head, "Didn't peg you for a tighty whitey's guy Danny", the red head turned and returned to her pan full of bacon.

Danny suddenly became acutely aware that he was standing in his girlfriend's kitchen, talking with her alien friend whilst dressed in just his boxer shorts. Subconsciously he folded his arms across his chest in an attempt to cover up as much of his body as possible. Jenny presence in Clara's flat had been a sore point for the teacher. In fairness to the Time Lady she had given the couple plenty of space. Without the need to sleep every night, Jenny hadn't used Clara's spare bed that often. Danny was still nervous in her presence, like her mother the red head was dangerous to be around as the incident at the school had shown.

Moments later Clara appeared from the bathroom, dress in a white bath robe. She was in the process of towel drying when she noticed an uncomfortable looking Danny, "Morning", she said nervously, "did I miss something?"

"Only the total loss of my dignity", Danny mumbled and quickly scrambled to find some more appropriate clothes.

Completely oblivious to Danny's discomfort Jenny finished assembling her bacon sandwich. She squirted in several different sauces before talking a large bite, "Don't Time Lady's have to worry about their cholesterol?" Clara asked with disgust. Jenny's sandwich was so full of sauce that it was dripping all over her plate.

The red head shook her head, "Faster metabolism as well", she replied with a mouth full of sandwich, "never have to worry about not fitting into my jeans", the Time Lady boasted. Clara grumbled something offensive under her breath and watched with envy as Jenny continued to devour her breakfast, "I've sent Mum a message", she continued, "she should be here sometime today". Jenny swallowed the food that was in her mouth and added, "Well, in theory anyway. You know how well she flies the TARDIS".

A small smile formed on Clara's face, she was genuinely excited to have a visit from the older Time Lady. Their friendship had been a little rocky since her regeneration but Clara had come to understand his incarnation of The Doctor a little more after the incident at Coal Hill. The problem was Danny, could she continue to lead a duel life knowing that her boyfriend was weary of the Time Lady? He barely tolerated Jenny's presence around the flat and the red head had hardly ever been there. "Still comparing Mum to PE?" Jenny chuckled, taking anoter huge bite out of her breakfast.

"No", Clara shook her head, "maybe and if I was I certainly wouldn't discuss it with her daughter". Mid chew Jenny raised an eyebrow implying that Clara didn't really have anyone else to talk the problem through with, "And stop calling him by that ridiculous nickname". With the teacher split amongst different schools some of them had to take lessons in other subjects to be accommodated. All the local schools had an abundance of Maths teachers so he had to shift over to the PE department. Once Jenny heard she immediately gave Danny the nickname 'PE', mostly to annoy Clara.

Jenny finished off the last of her bacon sandwich and dropped the plate onto the side, "The moment will come when you'll have to choose", the young Time Lady began, "Mum and I would never make you choose". She paused to take a swig of orange juice, "After all, who will watch Game of Thrones with me whilst drinking copious amounts of wine", she added with a small smirk.

Clara had to smile at that memory, on one of the few nights that Jenny had stayed over the pair had stayed up until 3am binge watching the show. She had realised two things that night. Firstly Jenny was fast becoming one of her best friends and secondly you should never try to go drink for drink with a Time Lady. Clara had spent the following day in bed with the worst hangover she had ever experienced and from the little she remembered from the evening, Jenny had barely shown any signs of intoxication. "Yeah The Doctor would probably spoil the ending for us", Clara chuckled, "she probably watched it centuries ago".

"More likely she was the inspiration for whole thing", Jenny added, "seriously any good witch or wizard in history, it turns out to be her". The pair laughed loudly even though it wasn't really a joke, The Doctor's footprint certainly loomed large over humanity. Once the laughter stopped, Jenny's face turned a little more serious, "You've got a really good man there Clara", she stated solemnly, "I would love for you to travel with us forever but don't do it at the cost of your happiness".

The brunette nodded slowly at the Time Lady's advice, Jenny certainly had a knack of knowing exactly what she was thinking. The tense mood broke slightly as a now fully clothed Danny walked back into the room. Jenny looked him up and down with a disappointed sigh, "You didn't have to get dressed Danny, I was enjoying the view". Clara slapped the Time Lady on the arm, forcing the red head to hold her hands up defensively, "Hey I was just messing around". She took another gulp of orange juice before handing the rest over to Danny, "I'm going to get my things together, you never know when the TARDIS will show up".

As Jenny left the room, Danny looked at the half drunk glass of orange juice like it was a deadly poison. Clara could only shake her head as she watched him carefully place the glass onto the side, "It's not going to explode", she groaned.

"You can't be too careful", Danny replied absentmindedly. Running a hand down her face, Clara couldn't quite believe how ridiculous her boyfriend was acting. She knew he wasn't a fan of either Time Lady but to take things this far was almost beyond her limit, "She could be carrying some kind of germs that are fatal to humans", Danny added.

"Now that just insulting", Clara spat, "you wouldn't like it if someone said that about you". Danny at least had the good manners to look ashamed at Clara's words, "I've been to alien worlds as well and I didn't need a good hose down afterwards". She placed her hands on her hips and glared at her boyfriend, "Seriously what is your problem with The Doctor?"

Danny scratched the back of his head before answering, "I've seen her world before, every day I was in Iraq", he sighed, "substitute inter-dimensional beasts for insurgents and it's exactly the same". Clara felt a little bit of anger towards Danny disappearing. He didn't like to talk about his time in the Army but she knew that he had seen some disturbing stuff during his tours. She hadn't compared her life with The Doctor to a war zone before, however, after witnessing the horrors of Trenzalore it was a pretty accurate description. "I nearly lost myself back then", Danny continued, "I couldn't handle it if I lost you in that way".

"Danny we'll be fine", Clara began with a confident tone, "I've got two of the smartest people in the universe at my side, one of whom could take down a legion with her bare hands". She took hold of his hands in an attempt to reassure him, "I'll be fine, trust me".

"I trust you", Danny sighed, "I kind of trust Jenny but The Doctor", he bit his lip for a few seconds, "she reckless and unstable. From the little I understood of her technobabble she tore a hole in the universe with a toilet roll holder and some sticky back plastic". Clara could tell from the look in his eyes that he wanted to believe that she would be safe with the Time Lady's but he just couldn't, "Some might find that incredible but personally I find that a little scary".

"I'm not giving it up", Clara stated defiantly, "I enjoy travelling the universe and helping people so you'd better not ask me to give that up Danny Pink".

An awkward silence fell over the front room as Danny contemplated Clara's words. In turn Clara was desperately trying to gauge Danny's reaction to her declaration but the former soldier wasn't giving anything away. "I'm not asking you to stop travelling", he began slowly, "but what if, at some point in the future, someone asked you to?" An angry retort was on the tip of Clara's tongue but Danny held up a hand to stop her, "What if you want to get married in a few years time, have children of your own?"

"Getting a little presumptive aren't we?" Clara frowned.

"I'm not explicitly stating that you do those things with me" Danny replied, "but I'm sure you'll want to at some point. How long do you want to keep travelling with The Doctor for? At what point do you stop rolling the dice and walk away from the table?"

Clara's face fell, it wasn't something she had thought about before, not seriously anyway. During The Doctor's extended absence earlier in the year she had largely accepted that the Time Lady wasn't coming back for her. She didn't have time to think about missing the TARDIS life because it had seemingly been taken away from her. Thinking about leaving of her own accord, that was a different scenario all together. "I'd better go", Danny said and gave a slightly shell shocked Clara a quick kiss, "give me a call tomorrow if you want to do something".

He left the flat and the moment the door closed, Clara sank down onto the sofa with a heavy thump. Her head was full of so many thoughts that they threatened to stop the rest of her brain from functioning. She sat there for several moments, staring blankly at the wall. The points that Danny had raised were flashing across her brain too quickly to think about them logically. Shaking them to the back of her mind, she returned to her bedroom to finish getting ready. A good adventure with The Doctor would help clear her mind and maybe answer some of the questions posed by her boyfriend.


	2. 7: Lights, Camera, Action

_Chapter 2 – Lights, Camera, Action_

It was late morning when the familiar groaning noise echoed throughout Clara's flat. The brunette was in the middle of brushing her hair and she barely paused as the time ship materialised in her front room. She heard Jenny dash out of the spare bedroom, the pounding of her footsteps made her sound like a small elephant, "Great, Mrs Johnson downstairs is going to love me for this", Clara groaned, placing the brush on her bedside table. Her head was still full of her conversation with Danny earlier in the morning. She desperately wanted to say he was wrong but a small, nagging voice in the back of her head kept coming up with counter arguments. How long could she keep travelling with the Time Lady? At some point she would have to fully get on with her life. She couldn't imagine running away from danger when she was in her forties or fifties.

Taking a deep breath and fixing her best smile on her face, she left her bedroom and made the short journey to the front room. Standing proudly in the corner was the familiar blue box, gently humming away and waiting for its next adventure. Clara paused as she noticed The Doctor fussing over her daughter, like any good mother who hadn't seen their child in several weeks would. Jenny verbally protested but you could tell by the light in her eyes that she was pleased to see The Doctor. Clara too had to smile, this looked like any normal reunion between a mother and daughter. Apart from the visible lack of age difference between the pair of course.

A small amount of jealously reared up inside Clara. Her mother had died several years ago and she would never get to have a reunion like this. It only added to her doubts about her future onboard the TARDIS, could she really be a third wheel between this small family? Almost at that moment both Time Lady's looked in her direction. Clara froze, wondering if they had picked up on her thoughts. If they had neither of them showed any sign, "Clara", The Doctor grinned broadly, "we really mustn't go so long between visits".

The dark haired woman crossed the floor in two big strides and wrapped her arms firmly around the school teacher, almost spinning her around on the spot, "I've got the best place to show you two", the older Time Lady continued and practically dropped Clara onto the floor, "no time for idle chatter, lets get on with it".

Clara rubbed her sore ribs and watched the alien women disappear into the TARDIS, "Hello Doctor, how are you?" she grumbled under her breath, "I'm doing well, thanks for asking", the sarcasm was dripping from her voice.

The Doctor's head suddenly appeared at the TARDIS door, "Come on Clara, Columbia isn't getting any younger". She glanced at her companion and nodded her head approvingly, "Like the blouse, really brings out the colour of your eyes".

Almost as quick as her head appeared it disappeared again, leaving a shell-shocked Clara behind, "She said something nice, I'll take that for now", she sighed and slowly drudged into the TARDIS. The second the door had closed the ship took off in flight, causing Clara to stumble. Once the ship was flying steadily, she walked quickly up the metal gangway, "The repairs to Coal Hill are going well", she stated, "Mr Chesterton donated some of his lottery winning to the effort, don't suppose you know anything about that". The Doctor glanced her way, somehow looking guilty and unapologetic at the same time, "Probably fair since you blew up half the buildings".

"I did not blow up your school", the older Time Lady said defensively, "it got sucked through an unstable interdimensional portal, no explosives were involved".

"Hmm", Clara caught Jenny giggling behind her mother back but the school teacher chose to ignore it. Approaching the console, she checked the readings and noticed they were heading into the future, "So Colombia then", she continued, "never thought about going before, does it have lots of ancient ruins like Peru?"

The Doctor frowned in confusion before she realised what Clara said, "No not that Colombia, far too boring", she twisted a couple of knobs on the control panel and dramatically flicked a switch, "I'm talking about Columbia". She let out a sigh of satisfaction as the TARDIS began to land, "I've always want to visit but something's always got in the way. Closest I got was during Eight's time, this was right up his street", her smile fell slightly, "I was on my way when the Time War finally caught up with me". Shaking her head to clear the morbid thoughts, the smile quickly returned, "But now I'm finally here and I'm sharing this moment with my favourite girls".

The time ship landed and The Doctor practically skipped towards the door. Clara and Jenny stood rooted to the spot and stared at the giddy Time Lady, "Has she been at the Red Bull again?" Clara asked, "last time that happened I had to sedate her".

"I'm not sure", Jenny replied cautiously, "I like seeing Mum happy but this is creeping me out a little". She quickly checked the pocket of her leather jacket to make sure her sonic device was firmly in place. She had made a few modifications to her old sonic pen and now it looked very similar to The Doctor's own screwdriver, only a little thinner. A pulsing violet light came out the tip, satisfying Jenny that it was working, "Can't be too safe", she said, "better go see what all the fuss is about".

Clara nodded in agreement and the pair strolled out of the TARDIS. After the build up from The Doctor, they were a little disappointed to see they were in a small alley between two giant warehouses. Lining the alley was a number of bins, broken up wooden pallets and discarded scraps of plastic, "Wow, we're living the dream here", Clara sighed, drawing a small laugh from Jenny, "if this is the one place The Doctor always wanted to visit, I could've shown her the Shoreditch Industrial Estate".

"There you two are", The Doctor called from the end of the alley, "come on, you're going to miss her".

"I can hardly contain myself", Jenny deadpanned and she lead Clara down the other end of the alley. When they emerged into the light, they were stunned by the view in front of them. Directly in front of them was a large hill with a perfect replica of the 'Hollywood' sign from Earth but in addition was the word 'Columbia'. The warehouses were actually movie sound stages and stretching out into the distance was a number of smaller outdoor sets, ranging from a beach side scene all the way to vintage railway station. Underneath their feet was a red tiled pavement which lined an arrow straight road. "My mate Bill Shakespeare once said that all the world's a stage", The Doctor opened her arms and slowly rotated on the spot, "well here they take that phrase literally".

"This is incredible", Jenny gasped, "I've never seen anything like this in my life". Above the warehouses were neon signs with the current film being shot in that location. Direction opposite was a large banner which read 'Road to Redemption' together with the faces of its two stars. The male lead was a man by the name of Vicenzo Pertellini, immediately identified by his olive coloured skin and slicked back dark hair. His female co-star had pale skin and brown hair that was cut in a choppy fashion around her ears, "Abigail Sparks", Jenny read, "I've seen one of her films".

The Doctor groaned, "Yes I do recall. Disembowelling Debbie, you made me watch that a few weeks ago", she shook her head, "a delightful tale about a psychopath who stalks a local school and kills people by slicing them open and strangling them with their small intestine". She looked up to the sky, "I'm sorry Bill, had you known where human entertainment would end up, you probably wouldn't have bothered".

Feeling a little left out by the conversation, Clara meekly raised her hand, "Sorry, human here", she began, "little clarification on exactly where we are".

"Right, yes, sorry I got caught up in the excitement", The Doctor clapped her hands together. "Welcome to the planet Columbia in the thirty sixth century. By now humans have colonised a fair chunk of the galaxy but when they left Earth, most forms of entertainment were left behind". She rocked on the balls of her feet before adding, "They saved the classics of course, Shakespeare, Agatha Christie and the like but there was a real appetite for classic human cinema of the twentieth and twenty first century. In response this planet became the film capital of the human race".

Understanding her surroundings a little more, Clara could fully appreciate the planet a little more. She recognised several different film styles just on this small section of the street alone. Road to Redemption looked like a film from the 1940's or 50's, similar in look to Casablanca. Behind her they were filming something akin to a superhero movie. A little further down the street she recognised the poster for a romantic comedy when she saw one, "Huh, this is one way to avoid horrible remakes I suppose", Clara stated.

"Oh that still happens", The Doctor pointed to a poster for a film called 'Jaws 4', which claimed to be a sequel to the millennial reboot of the franchise, "I preferred the 2029 version of the film, David Beckham is a surprisingly good actor".

Before Clara could question the Time Lady on this point, the sound of several motorbikes came roaring down the street. The school teacher gasped, "Is that the robot paparazzi?" she asked.

The motorbike had a vaguely humanoid welded directly to their frame, only in place of a head was a fully rotating camera. There were at least ten of these motorized centaurs practically surrounding a white limousine. The limo stopped almost in front of the trio and the unprepared bikes following crashed straight into the back of the stationery vehicle. Mechanical parts went everywhere and the glass domed camera rolled across the ground, stopping just in front of the door of the limo.

Seconds later the door opened and the glass was crushed by a silver coloured high heeled shoe. The owner of the footwear stepped out of the limo, making sure that her impossibly tight dress didn't show off any more than necessary. The trio were immediately struck by the beauty of this woman, baby blue eyes, perfect cheek bones, full lips and a silky head of blonde hair that fluttered gently in the breeze, "Who is that?" Jenny gasped, her jaw hanging loose.

The Doctor rolled her eyes and forcefully closed her daughters mouth, "That is Caroline Caruthers", she answered, "possibly the biggest and most versatile star on Columbia right now".

Caroline pulled a pair of sunglasses off the top of her head and placed them over her eyes, "Poor turn out today", she stated in a snotty tone. A couple of assistants who had also left the limo nodded almost fanatically, "Tell my agent to leak my public appearances a little earlier next time". She practically turned her nose up at The Doctor, Jenny and Clara before walking towards one of the warehouses.

"Wow", Clara snorted, "what a bitch".

"She's been famous almost since she could walk", The Doctor replied, ignoring the harsh description of the blonde, "there's a rumour that she was engineered to be the perfect movie star".

"Like genetic engineering", Jenny raised an eyebrow, "I thought that was still illegal at this point in human history".

The older Time Lady nodded, "It is which is why her legal team quash those rumours as quickly as they can". The Doctor looked at the retreating blonde with a look that could almost be described as pity, "A person with hundreds of millions of followers across her various social media accounts but very rarely seen with an actual person for company, it must be a lonely life".

"Doesn't mean she can act like that to everyone though", Clara shook her head.

"Trust me, that was almost friendly", a male voice called out from behind them. Slowly walking towards them were a man and woman, both of whom were a little on the large side. The woman had a full head of dark hair that was so frizzy that it almost had a life of its own. The man kept his hair short at the sides but the top of his head was full of light brown curls, "She had a cameo in one of our films and Betty here nearly throttled her", he added.

"Oh my", The Doctor gasped, "you're Charlie Lau and Betty Butterfield", she vigorously shook both of their hands, "I loved The Bridesmaids of Atacalma Major, I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard".

The woman blushed slightly from the praise, "It's always nice to meet fans of our work", Betty replied, looking a little uncomfortable at the actions of the Time Lady.

Jenny and Clara gently cleared their throats, snapping The Doctor's fan-girling moment, "Sorry where are my manners, Jenny, Clara meet Charlie Lau and Betty Butterfield, the most famous comedy double act on Columbia". The two movie stars waived in acknowledgement, "I'm the Doctor by the way, capital D".

"Hello Doctor", Charlie frowned, "interesting name". He quickly turned his attention away from the woman and onto Jenny and Clara, "So are you two fans as well?"

"Honestly", Jenny replied, "I prefer Abby Sparkes, horror movies are my preferred genre", she quickly shook her hands, fearing that she had offended the two famous stars in front of her, "not that I don't like your movies-".

"But they're not your thing", Betty nodded sagely, "you're not alone, slapstick comedy isn't for everyone". She looked over Jenny's shoulder at the warehouse over the street, "Abby issued a press release a few weeks ago, says she wants to be own professionally as Abigail Sparkes now".

Charlie nodded in agreement, "She wanted to distance herself from the teen horror movie genre and her reputation as a Scream Queen". The blonde pointed at the building, "We're just heading over there now, maybe I can introduce you?"

"Seriously", Jenny squealed before regaining her composure, "I mean, that would great".

The movie star duo ushered them across the street but not before Clara hissed, "Can you tone down your excitement a notch before they have you kicked out for causing a scene", she warned the alien women.

"Clara, we're Time Lady's", The Doctor reminded her, "we do not get excited over trivial things like famous movie stars". She grabbed over of her daughter's arm and they skipped across the road like a pair of giddy schoolgirls. Clara sighed, once again she was going to have to be the voice of sanity.

 _ **A/N -** Not sure where this idea came from but I thought it would be entertaining. The primary characters are either homages or parodies to modern day movie stars. So imagining that the BBC suddenly had an unlimited budget, I would cast the following: Seth Rogan as Charlie, Melissa McCarthy as Betty, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Abby, Antonio Banderas as Vicenzo and Margot Robbie as Caroline. _


	3. 7: Curious Case of Caroline Caruthers

_Chapter 3 – The Curious Case of Caroline Caruthers_

A vintage steam train pulled into a station, billowing smoke down the narrow platform. The carriage doors opened and dozens of people flooded onto the cramped space. All of them were dressed in clothes that wouldn't look out of place in the 1940's. The crowd seemed to part around a couple who were heading in the direction of the train. The woman was in her early thirties, her dark brown hair was pinned back away from her face. Following a few paces behind was a man roughly ten years older than the woman. He was frantically trying to keep up with the woman who was practically jogged towards the carriage.

The woman quickly pulled open the door, jumped onto the train and slammed the door loudly behind her. The man tried to follow her but the door refused to budge, "Tess", he called out, "Tess please listen to me".

The door window opened and the woman leaned out, "Why should I Marco?" Tess responded. There were tears in her eyes that caused her make-up to run in places, "You promised me that things would change".

"It wasn't what it looked like", Marco reached out and grabbed her hands. An angry look flashed across Tess's face and she pulled them away sharply.

"I caught you in bed with my best friend", she sniffed, her voice a little screechy, "everything you promised me was just a lie". She glared at the dark haired man, "I'm done with you Marco, I never want to see you again".

Marco placed his hands together in a pleading gesture, "Tess baby", his voice crackled slightly as he added, "I love you".

"I used to believe that Marco", Tess sighed and turned her head away, refusing to look him in the eye, "but now I wish I'd never met you".

Marco was about to open his mouth but he was interrupted by a loud shout of "Cut!" from the edge of the platform. The crowd stopped moving and faded away from view, leaving the arguing couple alone. The door of the nearby waiting room opened and a slightly overweight man in greasy long hair stepped out. The only thing louder than his booming voice was the shirt he was wearing, "How many times do I have to tell you Abby, you need to emote more other the audience is not going to believe it".

"This isn't one of your horror movie's Sparks", 'Marco' said with a snide voice whilst buffing his fingernails against his jacket.

A few other holographic projections faded away, turning a vintage railway station back into the movie set it truly was. The two actors discussed the scene with the film's director with a rather despondent Abigail Sparks nodded occasionally but you could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't fully listening. 'Marco', or Vicenzo to give him his real name, made no attempt to hide the contempt he felt for his co-star. Hidden in a shadowy part of the studio, the Doctor, Jenny, Clara, Charlie and Betty had watched the entire scene and the aftermath, play out in front of them, "I didn't think she was that bad", the dark haired Time Lady commented. Her hand was buried in a brown paper bag filled with popcorn. She took a large handful and shoved the treat inelegantly into her mouth.

"She wasn't Oscar worthy but I've seen worse", Clara shrugged. She suddenly noticed the popcorn bag in the Doctor's hand, "Where did you get that?" The Time Lady's mouth was still full so she flashed the inside pocket of her jacket, "You had a readymade bag of popcorn in your pocket?" the school teacher asked incredulously.

The Doctor swallowed the popcorn and shook her head, "Course not, that would be ridiculous", she replied, "I heated up a bag of cornels with my sonic", the Time Lady added, flashing her sonic screwdriver. She offered out the bag to Clara but the brunette shook her head at the madness of the woman.

Jenny wasn't one to turn down free popcorn and grabbed a handful for herself. She had to roll her eyes at her mother's antics, despite her claims the older Time Lady couldn't be subtle if her life depended on it. "What's the deal between those three?" the red head pointed at the angry director and his two stars, "Doesn't look like there's a whole lot of love there".

"Well I'm not one to gossip", Betty began with a tone that suggested she loved to gossip, "but I heard that Abby was the only one who would agree to star in this movie". She leaned in a little closer to the travellers, "Mitchell isn't the easiest person to work with", she whispered.

"Mitchell?" Clara asked.

"Mitchell Roberts, the guy in charge of this film", Charlie clarified, pointing at the director. By now the man's face was a vibrant shade of red as he continued to lay into Abby. His voice was so loud that you couldn't pick up individual words because they were bouncing off the high metal walls with so much ferocity, "He was once touted as the one of the most promising directors on Columbia", Charlie continued, "unfortunately his stock has taken a huge hit in the last few years".

The Doctor's attention was solely focused on the shouty man in the distance. Her glare seemed to intensify with each word that he uttered, "Really, I can't understand why", she commented dryly. Her daughter was picking up on the woman's anger and tried to calm her down but it wasn't having much effect.

"Word on the grapevine is that he fell out big time with Caroline Caruthers", Betty added, "once you fall out with her then you fall out with Laszlo as well".

"Laszlo Jankovic", Charlie stated, noting the confused faces on the travellers, "he's the Executive in Charge of everything here on Columbia. If you upset his biggest star then life can become very difficult for you".

The argument seemed to be simmering down but the body language of Mitchell suggested that he was far from done. This was the eye of the storm and he was working up towards a second wave aimed firmly at Abby Sparks. The director moved off to the side to speak with Vicenzo, who was looking increasingly bored with proceedings. The time travellers noticed that Mitchell was much calmer with the male star than he was with Abby, "Mr Shouty doesn't appear to like Abby that much", Clara commented, "you'd think he'd be grateful".

"Rumour has it that he isn't too fond of her acting", Betty replied, "prior to this she starred almost exclusively in horror films, starting from your traditional teen hack 'em and slash 'ems all the way up to the high brow psychological films". She wheeled off that sentence so quickly that she had to pause for breath, "Horror films don't usually require a lot of acting talent and Abby doesn't have a great reputation to fall back on".

"Yeah but that doesn't mean she'll be terrible", Jenny frowned, "sounds like people are judging her before she's had a chance to prove herself".

"Exactly what I said", Charlie proclaimed, "the problem is once you get typecast here on Columbia you tend to get stuck in the same genre for the rest of your career". He leaned in a little closer and began to whisper, "Keep this to yourselves but I've got myself a role in Caroline Caruthers latest film. It's a small part but it could lead to some more serious roles in the future".

Jenny slapped him hard on the shoulder, briefly forgetting her own strength. Although the strike was playful it seemed to hard Charlie more than he was letting on, "Good for you", she smiled, "but what does that mean for your partnership?" she asked both Charlie and Betty.

"We'll still work together", Betty stated, "but I guess more solo films are on the cards in the future". She glanced briefly at Charlie and smiled, "I'm happy for Charles, this is what he's dreamt about for years".

Clara frowned, the smile on Betty's face wasn't quite reaching her eyes. She had to file that piece of information away though as Mitchell's voice had risen again, "Great looks like Hurricane Mitch has returned", she grumbled.

"Hurricane Mitch", Betty snorted with laughter, "I'll have to remember that one". She looked over at Abby, the poor actress looked close to tears as she felt the onslaught of the director's wrath, "If I was her co-star I wouldn't let her suffer through this".

Jenny and Clara seemed to be thinking the same thing, "Perhaps we should intervene", the red head whispered to Clara before turning to her left, "What do you think Mum?" There was no answer because the Doctor had vanished, "She's gone", she added with urgency.

Clara's head spun around until she noticed the familiar velvet coat moving away from them, "Oh great", she groaned, "we'd better stop her". The two actors looked confused by Clara's statement, "The Doctor's ideas of diplomacy are vastly different from ours, she's more like to pour petrol on that fire", the school teacher added and hurried off after the Time Lady.

Reaching the model railway carriage, the Doctor immediately threw herself into the path of Mitchell's tirade. She stood almost defensively in front of Abby, who was barely holding back tears, "Who the bloody hell are you?" the director demanded, "this is a closed set, get the hell out of my warehouse". Taking a couple of moments to rein in her temper, the Doctor smiled sweetly at the man and flashed her psychic paper. Almost immediately the colour drained away from Mitchell's face, "I'm sorry, I didn't know that Mr Jankovic was conducting private inspections today".

"It wouldn't be a private investigation if we told anyone about it now would it?" the Time Lady replied with more than a hint of sarcasm, "Mr Jankovic has expressed concerns about the budget of this production and has sent my team and I to investigate". She noticed Clara and Jenny approaching quickly, "And here they are now, Clara Oswald and Jenny Smith and I am the Doctor", she added, bowing her head slightly.

"I can assure Mr Jankovic that this film will be completed on time and within budget" Mitchell replied with a simpering voice, "after all we did save a lot of money when hiring the actors".

His glance flickered almost involuntarily towards Abby and he made sure that the actress knew he was looking at her. Clara too picked up on the look, "Yes we can tell", she began, standing as tall as her small stature would allow her too, "The male lead certainly looks a little cheap, wouldn't you say Miss Smith".

"Absolutely Miss Oswald", Jenny replied with a clipped tone, "I've seen less wooden performances from a broom".

Infuriated by the women's words, Vicenzo angrily stepped forward, "Now listen to me you insignificant pencil pushers", he spat, his finger wagged dangerously close to Clara's face.

"I would consider your next words carefully Mr Pertelletti", the Doctor said with a tone so cold that it threatened to freeze the air in the room, "there one thing I can't stand and that's a bully". She paced slowly in front of Mitchell and Vicenzo, "Pencil pushers we might be but we also hold the future of your career in our hands". She fixed them with one final glare, "I'll be watching you carefully", she turned sharply on her heel and marched away from the set but not before giving Abby a reassuring wink.

Clara and Jenny followed closely behind and couldn't resist a chuckle at the expense of the director and his male lead. They were close to hysterics by the time they reached Charlie and Betty, "That was brilliant" Charlie gave them a quick, yet quiet round of applause, "I've never seen Mitchell silenced so quickly".

The Doctor smiled broadly, "Well you've either got it-" suddenly the warehouse was filled with the sound of screaming, "now that's a scream I've heard before".

"Abby's in trouble", Jenny added and the group quickly ran back towards the set.

The Doctor was expecting to see Abby suffered at the hands of Mitchell or Vicenzo but that wasn't the case. She had been pulled out of the carriage by someone dress in a kimono style bathrobe. They could see a withered pair of hand from the attacker grasping desperately at the actress, "I don't think she's attacking", Clara commented as they got a little closer.

Abby had been able to push her assailant away but had fallen to the floor in the process. She was scrambling away as quick as she could. Her hand was clamped firmly over her mouth and there was a terrified look in her eyes. Even Mitchell and Vicenzo looked horrified at the sight of Abby's attacker. The woman in the robe had brittle looking silver hair and seemed to be wheezing something under her breath, "Alright you, I think you need to leave", Jenny grabbed her roughly by the arm and spun her around. When she saw the woman's face, she gasped, "No way".

Getting a good look for the first time, the woman's face was wrinkled and withered with age but the baby blue eyes gave away exactly who she was, "Oh my God", Clara began, "is that Caroline Caruthers".

"If it is then it's a bloody good make up job", Betty shook her head disbelievingly.

The Doctor gave Caroline a quick visual check before scanning her with the sonic screwdriver, "That's not make-up", she sighed, "according to the sonic she's been physically aged by fifty years and is getting older by the minute". The aged Caroline clawed at the Doctor's coat, her breath was shallow but the Time Lady could just about understand what she was trying to say, "She wants me to save her", the raven haired woman sighed. Unfortunately she had no idea how this could've happened but one thing was certain, it had been done deliberately.


	4. 7: Engineered For Success

_Chapter 4 – Engineered For Success_

"Come on sonic, don't fail me now", the Doctor pleaded with the object in her hand. Caroline Caruthers' vital signs were fluctuating wildly and nothing she was doing was having much effect. Her cells were aging but not as rapidly as they had been a few minutes ago but the Time Lady wasn't sure if that was due to her input or a natural cause of whatever was attacking Caroline's body. Everyone else in the room could only watch and wait for any news.

Mitchell in particular was looking very concerned. He was standing very close to Vicenzo, occasionally nibbling on his nails, "We can't afford for this to get out", he whispered to his lead male actor, "if anyone finds out that Caroline Caruthers collapsed on my set, my career will be finished".

"Good to see you've got your priorities sorted", Clara snorted, surprising the film director. Clearly hadn't been speaking as quietly as he thought. The school teacher decided not to waste any more breath on the man and turned her attention to the elderly looking actress on the ground. Whatever this disease was, it was literally draining the youth and life away from her. "Shouldn't we call the Police or an Ambulance?" she said out loud.

Charlie sighed, "Emergency care is provided by medical droids but they only provide basic care". The actor glanced quickly at Caroline, "For something like this we'd need Mr Jankovic's permission to transport her off world".

"Droids", Jenny snorted, "no substitute for proper human health care".

"Everything on Columbia is controlled by droids", Betty added, "the only humans who work on the planet are those involved in the film industry". She fidgeted nervously on the spot, "Security is controlled by Mr Jankovic's personal security droids but there hasn't been a reported crime here for decades".

"The perfect place to commit a nearly perfect crime", the Doctor declared, switching off her sonic screwdriver, "no external signs of trauma, nothing foreign in her bloodstream and as far as I can tell, no witnesses either. There's only one thing that stops this from being the perfect crime".

"What's that?" Charlie asked.

The Doctor stood up and brushed some dust off her trousers, "Me", she said boldly, "I've isolated her genetic structure and stored it on my screwdriver". She placed her hands into her pockets before continuing, "my ship will be infinitely more powerful than the primitive devices you have access to. I'll have the cause of her mysterious ailment within a matter of hours". She looked down at the stricken Caroline and sighed deeply, "Try and keep her comfortable, there must be a bed in one of these warehouses".

The time travellers took their leave of the actors to return to the TARDIS. Charlie, Betty and Abby quickly went about the business of making Caroline as comfortable as she could be. Mitchell and Vicenzo also milled around the set but not with the same urgency as the others. After a few minutes Mitchell disappeared around the corner and quickly made a telephone. He gave Vicenzo a knowing look as the call continued.

About an hour later Clara was inside the TARDIS library, catching herself up with cinema history of the time. Alongside various anthologies were a number of contemporary articles from fansites. Most of the sites had a pretty conclusive filmography for Caroline. Some were quite dry, giving names and dates only and others went into a little more detail. A few were bordering on obsessive stalker territory that made Clara feel a little uneasy.

The first thing that struck Clara was the length of Caroline career so far, somewhere approaching fifty years. Clara found that a little unusual as the blonde actress looked no older than the school teacher. It could've been that people aged slower in this century or perhaps Caroline had resorted to more traditional methods of making herself look younger, "Plastic surgery has definitely improved after several hundred years", she snorted and moved onto the next site.

Clara found herself trawling through the website of a tabloid magazine known as the Columbia Enquirer. It was very similar to the trashy Earth magazines that Clara told everyone she didn't read. Pointless gossip and outlandish theories littered the pages and even though the brunette had no idea who anyone mentioned was, she found herself hanging on every word. Like her own time period, there was a lucrative market for celebrity gossip.

As Clara clicked own she came across a split picture, one half showed Caroline Caruthers and the other was of another blonde. The headline read 'Are Caroline Caruthers and Natalie Nikolson the same person?' Clara tiled her head and squinted at the picture, she had to admit there was a certain similarity to the pair. She brief skimmed the article, picking out the useful information from the banal tabloid rubbish. Natalie Nikolson was a famous movie star, similar in stature and fame as Caroline, around a hundred years ago. Like Caroline she had a career approaching fifty years until she announced her retirement from show business. About two years later Caroline was plucked by Emil Janvokic from obscurity to be his new star. Clara guessed that this Emil guy was Lazslo Jankovic's father.

Turning her attention to Natalie Nikolson, Clara scanned the database for images of the older actress. Similar to Caroline, Natalie had an aversion for aging. The school teacher would've found it hard to date either actress's films as they barely appeared to have aged over several decades. Clara bookmarked several pages, it might be nothing but the Time Lady's needed to know about this.

She carried on read for a few more minutes, taking in some further details about the people she met earlier in the day. Clara noted with interest that Betty Butterfield was the daughter of an engineer specialising in robotics. Like Abby she had found acceptance difficult amongst the natural snobbery on the planet before forging a successful career on comedic acting. There was another rumour site that seemed to suggest that Betty had been up for a role in a Caroline Caruthers film but that had never come to fruition. Another site insinuated that there was some kind of romantic relationship going on between Mitchell and Vicenzo. They had collaborated on a number of projects over the years which fuelled the rumours but both parties vehemently denied the allegations.

After downloading as much information as she could, Clara made it to the console room and found the Doctor and Jenny chatting animatedly around one of the scanners. They were talking about something technical and Clara only understood every other word that came out of their mouths. As she watched the scene Clara's heart sank, mother and daughter clearly shared the same interest in science and could probably talk for hours on the subject. They didn't need some human English teacher adding her opinion, mainly because Clara didn't understand enough of it to offer any kind of input. She already felt like a third wheel, this just hammered the point home.

The brunette felt a little awkward showing the alien women what she had obtained from some tabloid websites. Swallowing her doubts Clara fixed her best smile to her face and bounced over to the console, "Any luck?"

"Nothing", the Doctor's shoulders slumped in defeat, "we've established that it's attacking her DNA directly but what _it_ is", she blew out a breath loudly, "we have absolutely no idea".

Clara frowned, it wasn't like the Doctor to come up empty handed. Now she really was feeling self conscious about showing the pair what she had found. Clara decided to approach this from another angle, "This might sound random but what's the human life expectancy in this century?"

"About hundred and something years", the older Time Lady sucked in a breath through her teeth, "course you lot do find a way to enhance your lifespan artificially but even then, you'd be lucky to reach a hundred and fifty".

"And aging rates, still the same as my time?" Clara added.

Sensing that the teacher had an idea, Jenny stated, "Something you want to share with the class?"

Clara swung one of the screens around and loaded up the images of the blonde haired actress, "A chronological, pictorial history of Caroline Caruthers", she waited as the Time Lady's flicked through the images, "notice anything strange".

"Yes someone has far too much time on their hands if they can put this site together", the Doctor commented, which earned her a firm slap on the arm from her daughter. She took another look, this time fully taking the dates onboard, "She barely ages a day, I really need to learn her secret".

"Says the two thousand year old alien who looks about thirty", Clara joked. The Doctor pulled a face and shrugged, conceding her companion's point, "I'm no expert but that can't be right".

The Doctor shook her head, "It isn't, even the most powerful anti aging techniques wouldn't have this kind of effect".

Jenny suddenly snapped her fingers, a thought flashing across her brain, "What if she was engineered that way, had her DNA altered so she literally wouldn't age?" Her mother looked a little sceptical, "I know it's a crazy theory but it's the best we've got so far".

"Could also explain this", Clara showed them the article from the Columbia Enquirer.

The Doctor examined the article closer, her expression changing from unconvinced, to confused before finally settling on totally expressionless. She took a couple of paces back and folded her arms across her chest, "Humans, always making connections no matter how ridiculous they are", she said with a small smile on her face. "Alright say this is true, what's the point? Why would someone engineer a near immortal to use them only as an actress?"

"And why would someone want them dead?" Clara threw that little thought out into the TARDIS.

The atmosphere in the TARDIS became a little downbeat, every avenue they explored was only throwing up more questions. The Doctor stood alone with her thoughts as Jenny and Clara worked away on the console. Could this be another attack by the same puppet masters that had been following her around for the last few weeks? It was certainly a hideously complex mystery, which was right up their street, "Found something", Clara suddenly declared. The two Time Lady's huddled around the screen, "Actually it's what I didn't find that could be important", she continued, "there's no entry of death for Natalie Nikolson and no record of Caroline Caruthers being born".

"A simple clerical error", Jenny suggested, "I mean things get a little rough for humans around this time-" her sentence was abruptly cut off by a firm shake of the Doctor's head, "oh right, probably shouldn't tell you that". Clara's interest was piqued but a loud buzzing noise from the scanner stopped her from speaking, "Or perhaps there's no record of death because Natalie and Caroline are the same person", Jenny added, almost disbelieving the words that came out of her mouth.

The Doctor snatched the screen away from her daughter, double checking her findings, "Synthetic DNA sequences, possibly over a hundred years old". The raven haired woman's attention suddenly fell on one sequence in particular, "Hello what's this", she pointed at the sequence.

"Loads of zeroes and ones", Clara began, "binary code?" the Doctor nodded, "what does it say?"

"This genome is the intellectual property of the Jankovic Corporation, any unauthorised use of this property is strictly prohibited", the Doctor translated. The older Time Lady shook her head in disappointment, "Just when I thought the human race had run out of ways to disappoint me".

"Alright so maybe someone found out about this and switched on her aging sequence again", Jenny suggested, "corporate sabotage gone wrong?"

"Probably more important question is, can be switch it back on again?" Clara asked, "reverse the damage caused to Caroline".

The Doctor shook her head, "It's too late, Caroline's cells are catching back up their true age. Turning the aging sequence back on would stop her aging but she would be stuck as an old woman". She looked towards the roof of the TARDIS and sighed, "There's not much we can do apart from catch the person that did this". The older Time Lady suddenly abandoned the console and ahead towards the door, a furious look etched on her face. Jenny and Clara had no choice but to follow in her wake.

The trio left the TARDIS and walked back towards the set where they left Caroline and the others. This had turned from a mission of mercy into a search for a culprit, "What I don't understand is how did they do it?" Clara said to Jenny, "like the Doctor said there was nothing abnormal about her scans".

"I don't know", Jenny replied, "maybe we'll find some clues when we get back to the film set".

Exiting the alley, the time travellers suddenly found their path blocked by a dozen heavily armoured droids. The robots easily towered over the three women and their dome shaped heads flashed red like a warning beacon. As their energy weapons charged up and took aim at the trio, the Doctor reluctantly raised her hands in surrender, "Looks like you've got us surrounded Mr Jankovic", she called out with a slightly bored tone, "perhaps you can call off your tin cans and we can talk like civilised people".

There was a brief pause before the droids parted and someone stepped through. It was a man with very tanned, almost unnaturally tanned, skin. He was a little shorter than average and his brown hair was perfectly quaffed, "You must be the one called the Doctor", Lazslo replied, "perhaps you can tell me what you're doing on my planet before I tell my enforcers to execute you and your friend".

"On what grounds", Jenny cried in response.

Lazslo Jankovic chuckled dryly, "Why the attempted murder of Caroline Caruthers of course". The time travellers shared nervous glances with either other, they could tell he wasn't bluffing. They were in a very tricky position.


	5. 7: A Nightmare On Columbia

_Chapter 5 – A Nightmare On Columbia  
_

It wasn't the first time in her life that Clara Oswald had been frog marched away by some weapon wielding thugs, although fully robotic droids was definitely a first. It had been exciting the first few times but now it was getting tiresome. If this had been the Doctor's plans all along, to get arrested, it certainly ranked as one of her worst. The older Time Lady wasn't giving anything away, although the deep frown on her face suggested that she was extremely annoyed and it was focused on Lazslo Jankovic. Whether it was for dragging her away at blaster point or for something else, Clara couldn't be sure.

The group were led back to the warehouse where an aging Caroline had burst in just a few hours ago. Someone had managed to find her a bed and she was sleeping soundly. Charlie and Betty were still around, their brightly coloured and modern clothing contrasting against the vintage movie set they were standing near. Abby Sparks was keeping a silent vigil near Caroline's bedside whilst Vicenzo and Mitchell loitered near the back of the set. The pair looked like they didn't have a care in the world. They weren't even surprised when Lazslo burst in with his armoured security team and the three time travellers. The same couldn't be said for the comedy duo, "Mr Jankovic", Charlie leapt to his feet and almost bow in reverence, "we weren't expecting to see you today".

"Oh do show some self respect", the Doctor spat at Charlie, clearly unhappy with his attitude, "he's just a man, not some kind of God". The Time Lady's outburst earned her a sharp prod in the ribs from one of the security droids.

Brushing off the Doctor's comments, Lazslo strode imperiously into the middle of the room. He stood over Caroline's bed and shot a withering glance at Abby. The young actress quickly stood up, stumbling in her effort to vacate the chair quickly. Noticing the Doctor about to shoot off another sarcastic comment, Clara swiftly clamped her hand over her mouth, "Lots of shooty robots around us", she whispered, "controlled by a short, angry man. Not a good combination". The Doctor almost growled in response but reluctantly agreed with her companion.

"Oh Caroline", Lazslo gently moved some of her straw like white hair away from her face, "what have they done to you". The time travellers couldn't tell if this gesture was one of romantic love or fatherly compassion. Given what they knew of Caroline's genetics, either was possible. Lazslo took a few calming breaths before continuing, "Thank you for contacting me Mr Roberts, your information and comments about the intruders will be invaluable", he said in the direction of the film director.

"You sneaky little rat", Jenny hissed, "I should've known you'd sell us out".

"I don't understand", Abby began, "I thought you worked for Mr Jankovic as inspectors".

"I've never seen them before in my life", Lazslo slowly turned around, his withering glare set firmly on the travellers, "perhaps you can tell us who you really are before I get a little", he looked directly at Clara, "shooty"

The Doctor took a step forward, deliberately standing in front of Clara in a protective manner, "I'm the Doctor, this is my daughter Jenny and my friend Clara", she began, "we're just three fans who wanted to visit Columbia for a good time". She took a few more paces towards Lazslo, ignoring the ominous hum from the droids weapons, "We know what's wrong with Caroline", she added with a quiet whisper, "so unless you want us to reveal everything, I suggest you call off your attack dogs".

Lazslo took a few moments to think about the dark haired woman's words. The rational part of his minds wanted to do as she asked but Lazslo Jankovic hadn't made his fortune by backing down from an argument. Not even the piercing glare of the woman could get him to change his mind, "Clearly you're corporate spies, here to steal my secrets", he said coldly, "kill them".

There was a cry from Abby and Charlie as the droids powered up their weapons but the Doctor was unmoved. Clara found herself gripping onto Jenny's arm for support, waiting for the laser fire to strike her body. No weapons were fired though as the droids heads suddenly flashed green and the top half of their bodies slumped forward. Their arms also went slack, the barrel of their blasters pointed firmly towards the floor. For the first time in his life, Lazslo felt powerless, "W-What's going on", he stammered.

A small smirk appeared on the older Time Lady's face, "Little tip, next time you arrest some, make sure they're not carrying a sonic screwdriver". She wiggled the device between her fingers before stuffing it back into her pocket, "I've powered down your droids so we can talk like civilised people". The Doctor brushed past the head of Columbia, ignoring his spluttering attempts at a comeback.

Clara and Jenny meanwhile let out the breath they were holding and still tip toes past the droids, "I knew she'd have a plan", the red head whispered to Clara before rushing to catch up with her mother.

"At least one of us did", Clara sighed and walked a little slower up towards Caroline's bedside. The teacher hoped that next time, the Doctor put her plan into action a little quicker.

With the droids temporarily deactivated, the mood had relaxed dramatically. Charlie took a couple of moments to look at Lazslo with a mixture of fear and loathing, "You really would've killed them", he snapped his fingers, "just like that".

Regaining his composure, Lazslo glared back at the actor, "They're a threat to the security and safety of this planet".

"All they've done it try to help", Abby joined in, "they've spent the last few hours trying to find a way to save Caroline".

"Maybe they were the one's would afflicted Miss Caruthers with whatever she's suffering from", Lazslo shrugged, "big coincidence, they show up and our biggest star is suddenly incapacitated". He watched as the Doctor waived her sonic device over Caroline's sleeping body, "I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them", he added, the venom dripping from his words.

Ignoring Lazslo's comment, the older Time Lady quickly scanned Caroline's vital signs. She let out a resigned sigh, they were growing weaker by the minute. Shutting down her sonic device, the Doctor gently grasped Caroline's hand and gave it a squeeze, "Caroline", she whispered, "or should I call you Natalie".

There was silence for a few moments as the time travellers waited for a response. The Doctor was about to ask again when a weak voice stated, "So you know". Caroline slowly opened her eyes, "tell me the truth, how do I look?"

A small part of the Doctor wanted to tell her the truth but the actress was near the end. A small white lie wouldn't hurt, "Beautiful as ever", she smiled, "I thought I had the cornered on eternal youth but you've taken it to the next level". Caroline shifted as best as she could on the bed but her aged muscles were extremely weak. "Tell me, how old are you really?" the Time Lady asked.

"A woman never reveals her age", Caroline slowly lifted her arm, brushing her fingers against the Doctor's cheek, "you though are much older than you appear, your eyes give you away". Lowering her arm again, Caroline continued, "Truth is, I don't know anymore. Every major film star of the last ten generations, that's been me".

"All of them", Jenny frowned, "Olga Ozlanski, Agnetha Anderson", Caroline nodded as best as she could, "even Teresa Tarradelego?"

"You're forgetting Mandy Monroe", Caroline smiled weakly, "it was surprisingly easy, do thirty or forty years on one planet before moving onto another. Have a little nip and tuck and reinvent myself as a new person".

"All at the employment of the Jankovic Corporation", Clara asked, "but why, what was in it for you?"

Caroline coughed a couple of times, squeezing tightly against the Doctor for support. Once the episode had passed, she replied, "Fame, that's what I was created for and that's all I've ever desired".

"Because you were programmed that way", the Doctor said a little more harshly than she intended, "I've heard of manufactured stars but this was taking it one step too far".

"Try not to be angry at them", Caroline pleaded, "they have never done me any harm". The Doctor was reluctant to agree to her request but eventually she nodded slowly, "thank you", the dying actress whispered.

Her eyes began to droop and the time travellers knew that she didn't have long left. Leaning in a little closer, the Doctor asked, "Caroline, do you know who did this to you?" The actress mumbled something but it was barely audible. Seeing the final flicker of light fading from her eyes, the older Time Lady pressed her fingers against the actress' temple in an attempt to telepathically get the answer from her. Moments later, Caroline Caruthers breathed her last.

"She's gone", Jenny announced solemnly to the gathered group. Everyone bowed their head in respect of the deceased woman, even Mitchell and Vicenzo in the corner. The Doctor meanwhile still had her hand pressed against Caroline's head and suddenly staggered back from the body, "Mum", Jenny cried, trying to help her mother keep her balance, "Mum, what's wrong?"

"Droids", she wheezed, "everyone needs to get away from those things as fast as possible". Almost on cue the robots burst back into life, their domed heads flashing red before fixing firmly on that colour, "Run, now", the Time Lady barked, practically dragging Jenny away.

The droids blasters snapped upwards and took aim on the humans. They opened fire but fortunately they missed the rapidly fleeing targets. The group escaped the warehouse and into a parking area at the rear of the building, "What the hell is going on with my droids?" Lazslo demanded, "you did something to turn them against us", he accused the Doctor.

"Be sensible you ignorant ape", the Doctor countered, "if I did that, why would I program them to shoot at me?" She straightened out her jacket and continued, "Caroline showed me with her final thoughts, one of those droids injected her with something. I'd stake my excellent reputation that whatever that substance was, it reactivated the aging sequence in her DNA".

"Aging what" Betty gasped, "so the rumours were true, she was genetically engineered". She pumped her fist, "Score one for the Columbia Enquirer".

Suddenly the droids burst through the rear doors and moving towards the group, "We need to split up", Charlie suggested, "we're sitting ducks like this".

"Agreed", Clara looked across the vehicle park and noticed a much smaller warehouse, "we're going that way if anyone wants to join us". The actors, along with Mitchell and Lazslo looked reluctantly to join up with the travellers. The droids weren't going to give them a chance to make up their minds and opened fire again, forcing the Doctor, Jenny and Clara to head off by themselves.

Weaving between parked vehicles, the trio ducked under the occasion laser blast. One narrowly skimmed over their heads, destroying a parked make-up trailer in the process. Jenny quickly pointed her screwdriver at the door, blowing it off its hinges and allowing them inside, "Need to work on the power of this thing still", she mumbled and tucked the sonic device back into her jacket.

The travellers had walked into another movie set, this one looked like it belongs in a samurai movie, "See Clara, told you I'd bring you ancient Japan", the Doctor chuckled.

"Pity about the droids of death that are chasing us", Clara shot back. She glanced out the door, only two droids had followed them. The rest had pursued the natives of Columbia across the other side of the lot, "Can't you use the sonic again to shut them down", the teacher asked.

The Doctor pulled out her sonic device and tried but it had no effect against the rapid closing robots, "Nope, looks like someone deadlocked their switches", she looked around and found a few props that had been discarded, "I can't believe I'm about to say this but I think we need to resort to some agressive negoitiation tactics".

Jenny smirked and broke a piece of wood off one of the nearby buildings. She twirled it around in her hand and waited for the droid to approach the door. With one powerful swing she crushed the head of the lead droid, sending it tumbling to the ground in a shower of sparks. The second droid was about to fire but the red head was too quick. She grabbed it arm and twisted it so the barrel of the weapon was pointed directly at its own head. The droids automatic attack pattern meant that it couldn't stop and it blasted its own head off, "That's how I negotiate", Jenny chuckled happily. She saw the disapproving look on her mother face, "It saved our lives", the younger Time Lady shrugged.

"I am genuinely scared of you right now", Clara said dryly. Further discussion was cut off by a loud call for help from another building. The trio quickly ran in the direction of the noise, which was the warehouse next door. Inside was another set, a bridge of a space to be precise. That wasn't the most shocking scene in front of them though. Kneeling in a pool of blood was Vicenzo, crying very loudly in despair. The cause of his anguish was very clear.

Swinging gently a few feet off the ground was the lifeless body of Mitchell Roberts. The most shocking thing was that he hadn't been hung with a rope. His abdominal cavity was sliced through and completely empty and wrapped around his neck was something that appeared to be a human intestinal tract, "That's-", Clara suddenly lost the power of speech and moments later she emptied the contents of her stomach on the floor.

"My thoughts exactly", the Doctor sighed, shaking her head at the disturbing level of violence that had been used to kill this man. Their problems had suddenly gotten a hell of lot bigger.

 _ **A/N -** Suddenly we've veered from the whodunit route" and ended up on the set of "Saw". I don't want to sound like one of those attention seeking writers but the reviews have gone a little quiet. Constructive comments really helps me shape future chapter so love it or hate it, feel free to let me know. _


	6. 7: Regrouping

_Chapter 6 – Regrouping_

Time seemed to pass by extremely slowly for the Doctor, Clara and Jenny. The body of Mitchell was still hanging overhead, almost taunting them for failing to save his life. His remains were about seven feet off the ground, well out the reach of the three women. The Doctor had determined that he had been violently yanked into the air by an industrial crane that sat in the roof of the warehouse. She could've severed the cable with her screwdriver but that would've sent the body crashing to the ground which the older Time Lady considered extremely disrespectful.

The time traveller sat on the cold steel floor of the science fiction set, blankly staring at the wall opposite. Jenny lent her head against the Doctor shoulder in a vain attempt to draw some comfort from her mother. Clara's nausea had long since passed, the horrific sight would be forever burned into her memory but now she was a little further away from the event, her brain was beginning to function normally again.

The brunette noticed Vicenzo was still in the room. He was sitting against another wall, the trousers of his tuxedo covered in the blood of the director. The dark haired man, who hours earlier appeared haughty and unapproachable, looked devastated at the death of Mitchell. Clara stood up, brushed some dirt off her skirt and slowly walked over towards the actor. She sat down in one of the chairs that were on the set and rotated gently, waiting for Vicenzo to speak. The wait seemed to go on forever but Clara felt that the man needed someone to talk to, "You can stare at me all you want", he said gruffly, "I have nothing to say".

"Fair enough", Clara shrugged, drawing a frown from the actor. That wasn't the response he was expecting. The teacher swallowed and allowed herself a few extra minutes to find her voice, "I've seen many things but nothing as disturbing as that". Clara couldn't even bring herself to look at the roof, she didn't need to, "even those two", she tilted her head towards a shell shocked Jenny and a rather expressionless Doctor, "are pretty horrified. They might look calm but trust me, it all swirling away underneath the surface". She leaned forward, hoping to look him in the eye, "So I can only imagine how you're feeling".

Vicenzo snorted angrily, "Do not pretend to know how I'm feeling", he hissed dangerously, "I'm not fully convinced of your innocence". Clara desperately wanted to protest but she bit her tongue, if Vicenzo needed to vent his anger she was willing to hear him out. Even if his vitriol was aimed in her direction, "Mitchell might have been an unpleasant man on the surface but no one knew him like I did". He turned his brown eyes in Clara's direction, "There was no one else like Mitchell, I lo-", he stopped abruptly, the words catching in his throat.

A startled look of realisation flashed across Clara's face, "You loved him?" she finished his sentence. She couldn't believe that one of the online rumours she had come across during her research had actually turned out to be true. Clara leaned back in the chair, crossing her legs at her ankles, "How long were you two an item?"

"Mitchell and I?" Vicenzo chuckled dryly, "he was as straight as an arrow, never would've even thought of me that way". Everything was beginning to fall into place for Clara, Vicenzo's anger was focused internally. He was angry with himself for never sharing his feeling with the man he loved. Maybe he was also angry for falling for someone who would never be able to love him back. The problem with this type of anger was that it led to irrational actions. Vicenzo would have to be watched closely for the rest of day.

Another thought flashed across Clara's brain, this was all starting to sound like the plot for a movie. Not a particularly good one, probably a low budget slasher film she occasionally watched on Netflix or the SyFy Channel. Could that be the murderers plan, creating their own film with a series of elaborately staged deaths? That thought was enough to bring on another wave of nausea.

"Doctor?" a voice called through the door, "Jenny, Clara, are you guys in here?" the voice belonged to Charlie and judging by the footsteps he wasn't alone.

The older Time Lady suddenly jumped to her feet, "Charlie, don't come in here", she bellowed. It was too late though as the blonde haired man, followed closely by Betty and Abby entered the sound stage. One look at the blood bath on the floor and the disembowelled body swing from the rafter sent shock waves through the trio of actors, "I did tell you not to come in", the Doctor sighed.

"Mitchell", Abby shook her head in disbelief, "but how did this happen?"

"We don't know", Jenny said as she slowly stood up, "the three of us fended off a couple of droids in the samurai studio next door. We heard a scream, came in here and found Vicenzo and", she swallowed deeply and pointed vaguely at the roof, "that".

"Shouldn't we, you know, get him down", Charlie suggested, his eyes almost glued to Mitchell's body.

"Hard to do without knowing where the controls for whatever mechanism is holding him in place", the Doctor scratched the back of her head, "whoever did this knows their way around a studio". That wasn't something the actors had thought about. They had all been separated for a few minutes, no more than ten. In that time someone had managed to locate Mitchell, slice him open and winch him up. "Have you three been together the whole time?" the dark haired woman continued. It hadn't escaped the Doctor's attention that the staging of Mitchell's body was very similar to the scene in 'Disembowelling Debbie' starring Abby Sparks. It could be a coincidence but the Time Lady didn't believe in coincidences.

Betty looked offended at the Time Lady's implied question, "Is this really the most appropriate time to have this conversation", she began, "Caroline's body is barely cold and now this", she pointed at Mitchell, "surely this can wait".

"Well that depends if you want to become a human piñata" the Doctor huffed, "clearly some psycho has a murderous grudge and someone needs to stop them before it's too late".

"And that someone has to be you Doctor", Abby spat, furious with the callous attitude of the Time Lady, "we barely even know you, how do we know that you're not a murdering psycho bitch".

"Alright let's stop right there", Clara threw herself into the conversation. She could tell that the Doctor was close to blowing her top which wouldn't help the situation. Despite her rather unhelpful attitude, she was probably their best chance at getting home alive. Now the Doctor was involved, she wouldn't leave until the mystery had been uncovered. One way or another, they were all stuck with either other, "How about we take this outside, away from the dead body".

Abby wrinkled her nose, shooting the Time Lady a filthy look, "Fine", the brown haired actress grumbled, "and for the record I was alone until I met up with Charlie and Betty outside this set, read into that what you want".

The trio of actors turned around and slowly ambled of the studio, even Vicenzo who shot the time travellers with a furious glare on his way out. Jenny pinched the bridge of her nose before slapping her mother around the back of the head, "Hey", the Doctor shrieked, "what the hell was that for?"

"For your fantastic diplomacy", the red head began, "they barely trust us as it is before you come blundering in with your size seven boots and stick your foot firmly in your mouth". Clara tried not to laugh but it was kind of interesting watching the child telling the mother off. She reined in her snigger the moment she remembered what had happened.

"My feet aren't a size seven thank you very much", the Doctor replied, completely missing Jenny's point, "maybe I was a little blunt but don't forget, one of them is a killer".

"Yeah and you probably just made them even angrier", Clara patted the older Time Lady on the shoulder, "thanks for that". She quickly left the room before she said something she would really regret.

Once outside, Clara noticed that Lazslo had met up with the three actors. In his hand was a blaster that looked very similar to the ones that the droids usually carried. When they saw it was Clara, they greeted her with look of distrust, "I'm sorry for the Doctor", the brunette began, hoping to bring them back onside, "she sometimes forgets to keep her thoughts to herself".

"She's seen stuff like this before I take it", Charlie asked and Clara nodded in confirmation, "do you trust her?"

Clara opened her mouth and without hesitation said, "Absolutely, with my life". She might have her doubts about the Doctor on occasions but Clara knew that she could trust the Time Lady with her life.

"So she knows what she's doing then?" Betty smiled in optimism.

That was a slightly harder question for Clara to answer. The Doctor wasn't very good at sharing her plans or thoughts, most of the time it looked like she was making everything up as she went along. "I wouldn't go that far", the school teacher answered honestly, "but there's no one else I'd rather have alongside me in a crisis".

"You'll have to forgive me for putting more faith in one of these than the words of a trespasser", Lazslo snorted, "although this one is totally fried, we'll have to find the armoury in case more droids show up". He threw the blaster on the floor and it clattered across the ground towards the entrance of the set.

At that moment the Doctor appeared and looked at the discarded weapon with distain. She kicked the blaster away with her foot and continued walking, "I take it you destroyed the other droids with one of those", she asked the head of Columbia.

"Only two", Lazslo said, "I lost track of the others somewhere near the Western sets at the far end of the street".

"Hang on let's take stock", Jenny began, "we destroyed two droids and so did Lazslo". She turned towards the other actors, "How about you lot, did you take any down?"

"Didn't need to", Charlie replied, "we gave them the slip around the back of the Christie Stage". He puffed out his chest with pride, "Wasn't too difficult, they're not all that".

The Doctor frowned, "You gave half a dozen attack droids the slip by yourself?" Charlie gingerly nodded. The older Time Lady held his gaze for a few moments before shrugging and smiling, "Fair enough, well played Mr Lau but that still leaves about eight roaming this general area".

"I don't want to say it Doctor but maybe we should head to the armoury", Abby suggested, "between us we only destroyed four of them-".

"No, absolutely not", The Doctor interrupted the actress, "weapon's will only make you overconfident and more likely to succumb to an attack".

"This isn't your decision Doctor", Lazslo jumped into the argument, "I'm in charge here and my shareholders would not be impressed if I didn't take all available action to safeguard my assets".

"Your actors", The Doctor corrected, "surely the safety of human life is more important than money", she added with a hint of smugness.

The atmosphere became tense as the Time Lady and Lazslo faced off against each other. The actors couldn't help but notice that their superior hadn't corrected the Doctor's statement yet. When he did finally reply, it wasn't the definitive answer they wanted, "Of course that's what I meant Doctor", he said coolly. The actors weren't fully convinced that Lazslo Jankovic had their best intentions at heart.

The older Time Lady threw her hands in the air in defeat, "Fine if that's what you want to do, this is your planet after all". There was a confused look from Lazslo and the actors, they weren't expecting the Doctor to give in so easily. They weren't going to hang around though and quickly set off in the direction of the studio's armoury.

The three travellers were left behind, watching with interest as the residents of Columbia crossed the parking lot, "You do have a plan, don't you Doctor?" Clara asked the Time Lady. In response, the Doctor gave her companion and enigmatic smile, put her hands into her pockets and strolled off after the Columbia natives. Jenny offered a shrug of confusion to the school before following after her mother. Clara grumbled under her breath, cursing the Doctor's habit of keeping her plans close to her chest. She just hoped it wouldn't be the death of her or anyone else on Columbia.

 _ **A/N -** Killer droids, a psychopathic killer, a scared Clara and a brewing storm underneath the Doctor's calm façade. Yeah can't see anything bad going to happen in the last few chapters of this episode..._

 _Any idea who the killer is? Let me know your thoughts._


	7. 7: Long Road To Ruin

_Chapter 7 – Long Road To Ruin_

The armoury for this particular sector of Columbia was several blocks away from their current location. Lazslo explained that other than Road To Redemption and the latest production starring Charlie and Betty, no other films were currently in production in the area. Charlie confessed that his film was actually on a scheduled shut down day, meaning there was no one else from his production on set. On the walk Jenny stood between the comedy pair, eager to learn a little more about the planet, "I didn't notice any other camera crew on set", the red haired Time Lady began, "does that mean there are no other humans around?"

"Usually depends on the production", Betty said in reply, "we prefer to use actual support staff, camera crew, makeup and the like but we can't actually offer to hire them". Charlie quickly shot his partner with a glare, gently shaking his head, "Oh I'm sorry, that must've sounded really bitchy".

"No, not really", Jenny looked confused, "I honest know nothing about this planet", she shrugged, "or this time period in general".

Charlie snorted with laughter, "Time period, you make it sound like you're not from around here". Jenny gave the curly haired man a cheeky smile, "No way" he said gleefully, "I mean I know that time travel is technically possible but it's so prohibitively expensive and tightly regulated that no one really bothers". Betty rolled her eyes at her over enthusiastic comedy partner, "So when are you from, like five years in the future, hundred years in the past?"

"It's not that simple", Jenny tried to think of the best way to explain her existence to a couple of humans, "Mum and I live non linear lifestyles. Technically I was born in the sixty first century but I've been all over the place so I'm not really from anywhere".

"Great, just when I thought this day couldn't get any weirder", Betty groaned, "I'm escaping from a murderous psychopath with two time travellers".

"Technically three, Clara's from twenty first century Earth", Jenny interrupted. In exasperation, Betty threw up her hands and picked up the pace. She was several metres in front before Jenny spoke again, "Was it something I said?"

Charlie shook his head, "It's been a stressful day for all of us, plus since I announced my intention to go solo she hasn't had too many job offers". The blonde looked at the back of his partner, his eyes downcast, "Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing", he turned towards Jenny and grasped her hand firmly, "Hey you've been to the future, does my solo career take off".

"Time travel doesn't work like that", Jenny chuckled, "I can't tell you what happens in your future". She wasn't lying but Jenny also didn't know what happens to Charlie Lau in the future. The Time Lady had seen a number of his films that were stored in the TARDIS library but hadn't really taken too much interest in his overall career. "What film are you working on at the moment?" she asked, curious to know if she had seen it already.

"It's called Ram Jam", Charlie laughed and so did Jenny. The actor waived his hands to silence the sniggering Time Lady, "It's an action comedy set on the Martian Frontier where Betty and I try and fight of a gang of pesky cattle rustlers", he continued in his best dramatic voice. Jenny still couldn't stop laughing, "I know it's a ridiculous concept, no idea why we called it Ram Jam either, there's not even a sheep in sight". The Time Lady's laughter slowly died off but if Charlie looked a little closer he would've seen a hint of sadness in her eyes. Jenny couldn't remember seeing a film called 'Ram Jam' in the library. She concentrated on Charlie's timelines and to her horror, they were all in flux. "So this might sound rude but you look a little young for this adventuring business", Charlie continued.

Jenny had to keep her face as straight as possible, she didn't want to alarm the comedian to his potential fate. If all went well in the next few hours then everyone would be perfectly safe. Fluctuating timelines didn't necessarily mean something bad was about to happen she told herself, "I'm not as young as I look", she answered, "I'll be eighty eight soon".

"Get out of here", Charlie smiled, "I really have to get your beauty secrets". Jenny gave him an embarrassed smile and tried to keep her true feelings under wraps. She would save Charlie, Jenny silently promised herself that.

A little further away the Doctor was strolling almost aimlessly down the red painted street. She was reasonable close to Lazslo and Vicenzo but the actor was trying his best to stay as far away from the Time Lady as possible. Her callous attitude back at the scene of Mitchell death hadn't won her many friends amongst the natives of Columbia. It didn't look like it bothering her though, she was treating the walk like a sightseeing tour, "They're making another Star Trek film", she pointed out, "can't believe people would still watch that in his century. Wormhole technology is on the rise so the notion of flying around in a faster than light ship must be pretty antiquated".

Vicenzo groaned loudly and powered on ahead. Lazslo tried to do the same but the Doctor, practically skipping with excitement, kept walking alongside the head of Columbia, "I've been on the real Enterprise you know", she continued, "the replica starship built in the twenty fourth century to honour Gene Roddenberry was good but the Space Shuttle version in the late twenty century was human enterprise at its finest". The dark haired woman giggled to herself went she realised what she had said, "Hah, slip of the tongue there".

"Is it your goal to annoy us to death", Lazslo roared, "two people are dead and you keep bleating on like a mad woman". He turned and glared at the woman, "If I was an officer of the law, I would call that suspicious behaviour".

The Doctor's expression suddenly hardened, "I find your lack of faith disturbing Mr Jankovic", she stopped and sniggered to herself, "Sorry Star Wars reference, couldn't help myself". Lazslo groaned loudly and snapped his head away from the Time Lady, keeping his gaze firmly in front of him. From her position a couple of paces behind, the Doctor smirked. To some it might look like she was being inconsiderate but this was all part of her plan. Human tongue's tended to be a little looser when they were angry. If she could rile some of them up a little bit then perhaps the true killer would slip up. It was a dangerous strategy but high risk usually brought high rewards. Plus if the residents of Columbia thought she was a bumbling clown then they would let their guard down.

The raven haired woman put in a couple of big strides until she was just in front of Lazslo. She quickly spun around and continued walking backwards, "I apologise for my actions Mr Jankovic, I'm just so excited to be finally visiting your planet. I've wanted to come here ever since I left my home planet eighteen hundred years ago".

If the Doctor's declaration of her age was a surprise to Lazslo, he didn't show it. Instead he looked down his nose as the woman before answering, "I trust your unauthorised jaunt has been enjoyable", he said with a less than pleasant tone, "I have half a mind to throw you off the planet right now".

"Ah but then you wouldn't find out the identity of the murderer", the Time Lady replied, "can't imagine those droids of yours are much good at doing anything other than shooting stuff". Lazslo grumbled underneath his breath, he had to concede the Doctor's point there. "Course if you did kick me off the planet I would report you to the Shadow Proclamation for unauthorised creation of a sentient form of life for entertainment purposes", she added. Her tone was light but the words struck a heavy blow to Lazslo Jankovic, "Oh so you've heard of the Shadow Proclamation them", the Doctor said offhandedly.

The head of Columbia looked at the care free grin on the Doctor's face. It was the look of someone who knew they had a winning hand, "I have no idea what you're talking about", he tried to bluff his way out of the situation.

"Caroline Caruthers", the Doctor began, "or whatever she was originally known as. Article forty four, sub-section thirteen point one, a sentient lifeform shall not be engineered for the sole purpose of entertainment". Her eyes bored into Lazslo like a couple of laser beams, "Covering up your crime won't go down well with the Shadow Proclamation either. Just imagine a fleet of Judoon showing up during a premiere" she added with a small smile.

"Alright Doctor you've made your point", Lazslo hissed.

"Oh Mr Jankovic, I've barely even started", the Doctor began with a quiet whisper, "because if I find out that you had anything to do with these horrific crimes then you will wish that you had never been born". She leaned a little closer and added, "And I'm one of the few people who can actually make that wish come true".

Lazslo gulped, still feeling the cold fury of the Time Lady. To his credit he didn't bend underneath the glare of the woman, "Would you extend this threat to everyone here Doctor?" he asked.

The Time Lady stopped and extended herself it her full height, "Two people have been killed in horrible, horrific and painful ways Mr Jankovic. Any unnecessary loss of life angers me but the cruel manner of Caroline and Mitchell's death brings up a side of me that I haven't felt in hundreds of years". She turned around in an attempt to hide the fearful look that was on her face, "I'm scared of what I might do which means you should be terrified".

With the Doctor's soul laid bare for Lazslo to see, the head of Columbia finally had some appreciation for the woman, "I can promise you this Doctor, I had nothing to do with these events. Rest assured when we catch the perpetrator, they will be dealt with to the full extent of my authority".

"Stop right there Mr Jankovic", the Time Lady held up a hand, "I don't think I want to know any more. You already run this planet through a twisted cult of personality that borders on a military dictatorship. I have a feeling I know what kind of action it will involve".

"My actors and directors are treated well Doctor", he replied, "surely you can see that".

"I know", the Time Lady sighed, "you are the lesser to two evils right now". With a resigned shake of her head, the Doctor quickly strolled away before she could get into any further discussions with the man.

Somewhere between the two groups, Clara and Abby were walking almost side by side. Neither had said a word to each other during their walk but they were both curious by the conversation going on ahead of them between the Doctor and Lazslo, "I wonder what that's all about", Abby whispered.

Clara could see the conflicted look on the Doctor's face, that hadn't changed after her regeneration. Quite what was on the Doctor's mind she couldn't tell, something else that had remained the same. She wished that the Time Lady would share some of the burden once in a while. The weight of the universe didn't have to rest solely on her shoulders. "She doesn't take the death of humans very well", Clara replied, "especially under such vicious circumstances".

"Is she dangerous?" Abby asked, a fearful tone in her voice.

Clara had to snort with laughter, this actress was throwing some difficult questions her way. "The Doctor is usually in the eye of whatever storm is raging so from that aspect, being near her is extremely dangerous". She could see the sag in the Time Lady's shoulders as she turned away from Lazslo. That wasn't a good sign. When the last Doctor did that, it usually meant that she was thinking about something that she didn't want to think about. Clara really wished she could read lips right about now. Shaking this off for a moment, she continued her response to Abby, "The Doctor would do anything keep us safe, whatever's out there she'll be the one to stop it".

"She sounds like quite a hero", Abby smiled, "maybe even your own personal hero". The school teacher hadn't thought about it like that before. The Doctor did have a habit of saving her from tight spots. She had been saved from getting uploaded to the data cloud, from her own timestream and even from an alternate dimension populated by demonic monsters. Who wouldn't find someone like that heroic, "All three of you stood up for me back at the studio", Abby continued, "maybe that makes you my heroes".

"I wouldn't go that far", Clara smiled, "we would make pretty terrible heroes".

"Thought you would say something like that", Abby sighed, "just remember your own words one day Clara", she added with a quiet whisper, "I wouldn't want you to get hurt". As the actress walked away, Clara struggled to understand what she was referring to. Was she referencing Clara's friendship with the Doctor, implying that she hero worshipped the woman? Clara didn't think that was the case, she certainly had a lot of respect for the Time Lady but had she elevated the Doctor that far?

Still musing over Abby's words, Clara noticed they were approaching a large grey building marked with the logo of the Jankovic Corporation. A sudden chill ran down Clara's spine, something told her that something important and life changing was about to happen but she had no idea what it was.


	8. 7: Under Seige

_Chapter 8 – Under Seige_

The large warehouse was exactly what the group of travellers had expected. Scattered around the facility were leftover props from various productions. From floor to ceiling, every inch of the warehouse appeared to be covered with movie memorabilia. Jenny got excited as she recognised famous props from some of her favourite films and happily shook Clara's arm every time she spotted something familiar. The teacher had to laugh at the enthusiasm shown by the young Time Lady. It reminded her that despite Jenny's age, she was still young at heart. "Look over there", the red head pointed out, "it's the shield from Dominator 4. That was the first film that connected directly to your central nervous system, letting you feel everything that the lead actor felt".

"It was a critical success and flop at the same time", Charlie added, "once news got out that people were trying to imitate what they had seen, resulting in some serious injuries and even a fatality".

"Some things never change", Clara mumbled under her breath. As they moved deeper into the building there weren't quite as many items on display. Instead the shelves were filled with large wooden packing crates, "Is the Ark of the Covenant in one of these?" She laughed at her own joke but her face soon fell when she was greeted with numerous blank faces, "That's an Indiana Jones reference", she clarified, "you know, Raiders of the Lost Ark".

Abby snapped her fingers, "Oh yes I remember that from our ancient cinema studies".

"And a little outdated after they found the real Ark during the evacuation of Earth a thousand years ago", Charlie nodded.

"Thanks for making me feel old guys", Clara grumbled, "really appreciate that".

Leading the convoy, Lazslo stopped at a large set of metal doors, "I apologise for bringing you in the long way but I don't trust any of you enough to show you my personal entrance". Standing at his side, the Doctor raised an eyebrow but remained stoically silent. Lazslo placed his hand onto a glass panel and it read his palm print. He then placed his head against another screen and that promptly read his iris print, "I usually have my droids retrieve any weapons that are required but given the circumstances, that's hardly an option".

The door swung open with a hiss and Lazslo slowly stepped inside, "So your droids have access to this vault too?" the Doctor asked, "and I assume that they still do?" Lazslo froze on the spot which answered the Time Lady's question, "Wonderful, how can this day get any worse?" she sighed and quickly pushed past the head of Columbia.

The rest of the group slowly entered the vault but Charlie paused in the doorway, "Hey has anyone seen Betty and Vicenzo?" he asked, "They were right behind us moments ago".

The Doctor turned her head with a suspicious look on her face, "We haven't got time to worry about that now", she said urgently, "we're in an enclosed space that six dangerous battle droids have access to".

"But we can't leave them behind", Abby pleaded with the Time Lady.

"I hate to agree with the Doctor but we need to grab what we need and get out of here as quickly as we can", Lazslo stated and started scanning the room for something useful. Abby and Charlie looked reluctant but they didn't have any choice but to agree with their leader. They still gave the dark haired alien a frosty glare on their way past.

Looking unconcerned at the anger from the actors, the Doctor quickly searched a couple of shelves to her right, "Doctor, what's gotten into you today", Clara hissed, "you're acting stranger than usual".

"All part of my plan Clara", the Time Lady replied without halting her search. Her companion was less than happy with the response and stomped off to join Lazslo and the others, leaving the Doctor alone with Jenny. "I know what I'm doing Jenny", the raven haired woman continued, "it's better if no one else knows I'm up to".

"Even me?" Jenny said, her voice reflecting that she was a little hurt, "if you can't trust your own daughter, then who can you trust?"

"It's not about trust Jenny", the Doctor answered, "but if the killer know that I'm onto them then it could put everyone in danger". She let out a cry of happiness when her gaze fell onto a large wooden crate that was wedge underneath a shelf. With a tug she pulled the crate out and removed the padlock with her sonic screwdriver.

Jenny frowned at her mother, "You know who the killer is?" the Doctor flashed Jenny with one of her trademark smug grins and threw the lid off the crate, "fine we'll do this your way but I'm holding you responsible if anything happens to Clara". The Doctor nodded stiffly, unaware that her daughter had formed such a strong connection with Clara. Jenny huffed, blew a few loose strands of hair out of her face and finally looked inside the crate. Sitting amongst some soft packing material were four large blasters. Jenny pulled one out, it was so heavy that it had to be held with two hands. Fortunately there was a handle towards the end of the barrel for just such a purpose, "A military grade thermal plasma cannon", Jenny inspected the weapon, "a little tough to wield but it would do whatever job you have in mind".

"It would", Lazslo called out, dragging an identical looking crate behind him, "expect those are props, designed to imitate a plasma cannon but without the actual firepower". He reached into his crate and retrieved a weapon that looked exactly the same as the one Jenny was holding, "This is the real thing", he added with a smug smile. He turned the weapon over to show the plasma cartridge which was attached to the rear of the weapon, "The prop weapons have a white cross on the bottom so we don't mix them up".

"You keep real weapons on set?" Clara asked just as Jenny turned her weapon over to reveal the aforementioned white cross, "Sounds a little dangerous to me".

"Which is why only myself and the droids have access to this room", Lazslo said confidently. He charged up his weapon and it began to emit an ominous hum.

The Doctor looked closely at the weapon in Lazslo's hands, "It is the real thing", she conceded, "must've made a mistake". Both Clara and Jenny looked closely at the older Time Lady, they knew her well enough to know that she very rarely made a mistake, "All these crates look the same anyway", she added with a straight face. There was a small glint in her eye though which seemed to tell a different story.

No one got the chance to press the Doctor on this matter though as the sounds of shouting came from somewhere inside the warehouse. The group hurried outside and turned a corner to find Betty and Vicenzo ducking for cover from four battle droids that had followed them into the building. The actress ducked behind a stack of crates but Vicenzo wasn't quite so lucky. A stray blast from one of the droids impacted one of the shelves behind him, dropping several small crates towards the ground. One of them struck the back of his head, knocking him out cold with blood seeping from a nasty head wound.

Time seemed to stop for a second as the droids turned their attention to the others. Before they could get a shot away a purple flash of light tore through two of the droids, turning them into a smouldering pile of ash, "I can always get some new droids", Lazslo shrugged his shoulders and unleashed another blast from the plasma cannon, destroying the other two battle droids.

With the coast clear, Clara ran over to check on Vicenzo. He was still breathing and had a steady pulse but his head wound needed attending to, "Has anyone got a cloth", she called out. Abby slowly unfurled a scarf from around her neck and handed it over to Clara, "Thanks", the teacher replied.

She was about to wipe away some blood from Vicenzo's face when the actor growled, "Touch me with that and it'll be the last thing you do".

"Alright Mr Grumpy", Clara threw the scarf down, "I was only trying to help".

"I've already seen what you call help", the actor rolled into a seated position, "it's a little suspicious that you three were the ones to find Mitchell, don't you think".

"Hey we're just as surprised as you", Jenny cried indignantly, "isn't that right Mum". She turned around but to her surprise the Doctor wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"So it all falls into place", Lazslo began, "you three arrive with your strange technology and conveniently unravel her genetic code, something that very few people could do". He paused and pointed the barrel of his weapon menacingly at Clara, "Then you're mysteriously absent at the time of Mitchell's murder and now the Doctor is suspiciously absent during a droid attack". He shook his head angrily, "You must think we're idiots".

Jenny and Clara stayed silent, thankful that the Doctor wasn't there to make the situation worse, "You've got this all wrong Lazslo", Jenny pleaded with the man. Betty, who had emerged from her hiding place stood next to their leader and Abby didn't look so convinced by Lazslo's statement but they also didn't disagree with him.

"I'm never wrong", Lazslo stated with a snort and pulled the trigger on his weapon. Clara flinched instinctively and ducked for cover. Everything she had heard about your life flashing before your eyes turned out to be completely true. Her thoughts drifted to Danny, thinking that she die in the future without getting a chance to say goodbye.

A few seconds passed and it was becoming apparent that no shots had been fired. Clara braved a quickly look and noticed that Jenny hadn't moved an inch, "Plasma cannons, told you they were impractical", she said harshly, "very destructive but only good for two shots then they need about twenty minutes to recharge". Lazlso growled under his breath and angrily threw the weapon down, "Now perhaps we can discuss this like reasonable people", the red head added.

"Maybe she's right", Charlie reluctantly moved towards Jenny and Clara, "we should at least hear them out".

"Remember your place Mr Lau", Lazslo hissed, "and more importantly your contract", he added with a dark glare.

To his credit Charlie didn't back down, "Some things are more important than contract Mr Jankovic", he said defiantly.

Lazslo went bright red and looked like he was going to burst a blood vessel but once again he was interrupted by several blaster shot flashing over his head. The final two battle droids had found their way in and were heading in their direction very quickly. One shot fizzed towards Charlie and the actor was rooted to the spot. "No! Jenny called, reaching out and pulling the man down but not before he took the laser blast directly in the shoulder. The bolt passed through his joint, burning a hole directly through his skin and shoulder muscle.

Charlie groaned loudly in pain and clutched his now immobile right arm. The others stood rooted to the spot as the droids closed in on them. Suddenly two purple plasma blasts flew directly towards the droids, destroying them instantly. They turned towards the source of the plasma blasts and noticed the Doctor holding another plasma cannon, "Such an uncivilised weapon", she said with distain and dropped the blaster. Behind her was the crate containing the final two plasma cannon "Sorry I'm a little late, had to hold those two off", she added.

Lazslo didn't wait for the full explanation and angrily shoved the Time Lady to one side. The Doctor crashed into the shelves heavily but she barely flinched. She cautiously backed away from the man and joined up with Jenny, Clara and Charlie, "You're making a big mistake Mr Jankovic", the older Time Lady began, "only I know the identity of the murderer".

"That's where you're wrong Doctor", Lazslo spat, grabbing a weapon for himself and passing the other to Vicenzo, "I'm looking at them right now".

"This is your final chance", the Doctor called out, "surrender now and I will ask the Shadow Proclamation for leniency". The Time Lady glared angrily at the three that stood behind Lazslo, three of them were innocent but one of them was a cold blooded killer. She knew exactly who it was but she had to give them a chance to confess to their crime.

"Don't play games Doctor", Vicenzo replied, "we hold all the cards here".

The Time Lady sighed, "Then you leave me with no choice", she took a couple of steps forwards before quickly spinning on her heels and starting running in the opposite direction, "Quickly, run", she called out to Jenny, Clara and Charlie, "come with me if you want to live". The trio hesitated for a moment until they noticed Lazslo and Vicenzo approaching them with their weapons fully charged. With no other option they turned and ran after the Doctor, hoping that Time Lady actually had a plan.

 _ **A/N -** I couldn't write a story based around the film industry without dropping a few movie references. Next time the killer is revealed. _


	9. 7: FaceOff

_Chapter 9 – Face/Off_

Bursting out into the bright sunlight that illuminated Columbia, the Doctor paused for a moment to allow the others to catch up. In addition she wasn't too familiar with the layout of this sector of the planet. Her group couldn't afford to make a wrong turn, that would allow Lazslo a chance to strike. Moments later a breathless Clara emerged with Jenny and Charlie close behind. The actors face had pain written all of it from the extensive wound to his shoulder. The younger Time Lady was trying her best to support the larger man but even with her natural strength, she was struggling to keep him upright. The group paused behind the Doctor but they could hear the chasing pack close behind, "Go to the right", Charlie hissed through gritted teeth, "that will take you through the external sets and towards the next sector".

"No where's going to be safe from Lazslo" Jenny reminded the actor, "he controls this planet. All he has to do issue an order and more of his deathbots will come after us".

"Assuming they're under his control", Clara added. She stared at the back of the Doctor's head, to her surprise the older Time Lady had barely moved since emerging from the warehouse, "What are we waiting for Doctor?" she asked in frustration at the lack of information from the woman.

"For the special guests stars to arrive", she replied cryptically before pointing to the right, "lead the way Charlie, you know this place better than I do".

The actor nodded and limped towards the front, his vision was going a little funny from the pain but he wasn't going to give up. He led the group away as quickly as his legs could carry him, passing through the vehicle park and down a side street between two buildings. They moved just in time as moments later a furious Lazslo emerged from the warehouse with his entourage of actors in tow. Vicenzo was ready to fire but his boss held a hand up, "No, we've only got a limited number of shots". Lazslo saw where the others were going and thought hard for a couple of moments, "We'll loop around the lot over there", he added, "there's only one exit from the route they're taking and we'll be there to meet them".

As the group set off, Abby hung towards the back. She wasn't quite as eager as the others to pursue the Doctor and others. They didn't seem like the murderous types and they had been amongst the few people to actually be nice to her since she began filming this movie. Not only that but every time she had seen Charlie away from set, he had been nothing but nice towards her. Suddenly she froze in her tracks when she noticed some motor oil on the back of the legs of one of her group. Oil was a very rare commodity and had very little use in the thirty sixth century. Something it was used in was personal droids, similar to the ones Mr Jankovic owned. The actress had a limited knowledge of mechanics but surely the killer would have to access the droids in order to overwrite their programming, "Do keep up Miss Sparks", Lazslo groaned, "I know you can run quicker than this, we've seen you do it on screen enough".

The young actress didn't acknowledge the comment or Vicenzo's smug look in her direction. If there was one thing she knew it was how to survive a horror movie. She had lived through enough of them in her time. Feeling that she had followed the wrong group, she ducked into a nearby building. If she was lucky she could catch up with the Doctor's group in time to share what she had uncovered.

The journey through the back lots had been sluggish for the Time Lady and her little convoy. Charlie was growing weaker with every step and he was being practically dragged everywhere. They emerged into an old Western style set, complete with wooden buildings and sandy track leading through the 'town'. The loose surface was giving Charlie even more trouble than tarmac and about halfway down the track he tripped and landed on his face, "Go on without me", he hissed, grabbing his injured shoulder, "I'm only slowing you down".

"We're not leaving you behind", the Doctor said firmly, bending down to check on the actor, "we've come this far as a group and we'll leave as a group". The older Time Lady looked around, the old West setting was giving her a very bad feeling. Bad things tended to happen to her in the heat of the American desert and this whole situation felt like a showdown waiting to happen, "Once we get out of Frontierland where do we go after that?" she asked impatiently.

"Only one place you're going Doctor", at the other end of the track, Lazlso, Vicenzo and Betty came strolling towards them. The two men were in the lead and Betty hung nervously behind them, "Trust me it won't be pleasant".

Extending herself to her fully height, the Doctor stepped confidently towards the approaching group. Behind her Clara and Jenny stood protectively over the injured Charlie. The atmosphere filled with tension, they were in the midst of a shootout only they had nothing to fire back with. The Doctor though didn't seem too bothered about being outgunned, "Aren't you missing someone?" she asked with a cocky smile.

Lazslo's head flashed around and noticed for the first time that Abby was missing, "A minor inconvenience", he sniffed, "any last requests before I disintegrate you?"

"Several actually but I'll settle for revealing the true killer". She began to pace in front of her friends, "The killer is very clever but not nearly as smart as I am, in fact I knew who it was from the very beginning", she turned sharply on the spot and pointed, "isn't that right Betty Butterfield".

There was a deathly silence for a moment until it was broken by the gentle laughter from the actress, "Me?" she chuckled, "why would I want to kill Caroline and Mitchell?"

"Yeah seriously Doctor, she doesn't look like the murdering type", Clara added.

"Appearances can be deceptive", the Time Lady answered, "it's not common knowledge but Betty comes from a long line of robotic engineers. The articles that you gave me Clara told me that tit bit of information".

"Doctor I've known Betty for years", Charlie groaned from the floor, "what possible motive does she have for killing people?"

The older Time Lady shrugged slightly, "It took me a long time to come up with a motive but I eventually found a link". She cleared her throat dramatically and held up a finger, "Betty herself told me that Mitchell's stock had taken a hit on Columbia, that was common gossip but what wasn't well known is that he was in line to direct your new film. Unfortunately the boss decided that Mitchell's talents would be better used on the latest Caroline Caruthers film".

Charlie frowned, "Really, I didn't know that".

"You were busy negotiating with Mr Jankovic for the part in Caroline's next film", Betty said defensively, "I held some preliminary talks but nothing more, I'm surprised that information even got out".

"Oh the press will report anything", the Doctor shook her words off, "but back to your motive, angry that your latest project had been shelved, you swore revenge on Lazslo. By eliminating his biggest star, you knew that would cripple his business". The others look less than impressed with the Doctor's theory but that didn't stop the Time Lady's flow, "The next step was to make it look like there was a serial killer on the loose and you engineered this whole situation to raise your own profile".

"Doctor this is getting embarrassing", Vicenzo shook his head.

"Don't interrupt me when I'm doing a monologue", the Time Lady snapped in warning, "With yourself painted as some kind of heroic survivor, you would get practically any job you wanted on Columbia". She paused dramatically and once again pointed at Betty, "Therefore, j'accuse Betty Butterfield, j'accuse".

Silence again fell over the set, some wanted to laugh at the Doctor's absurd theory. Clara merely shook her head in exasperation, finally convinced that the Time Lady had gone senile. Jenny though frowned, it was very telling to her that Betty hadn't immediately denied her mother accusation. Instead of looking nervous, Betty looked almost a little bored by the situation, "There's one thing you're lacking Doctor", Betty said with a quiet whisper, "evidence".

"Yes", the older Time Lady drew that word out, "yes you do have me there, I haven't got any physical proof that you're responsible".

"Yes you do", Abby suddenly appeared through the doors to the saloon on set. She was a little out of breath after running through the various buildings to make it to this location, "The back of her legs is covered in oil, I bet if you tested it then it would match the stuff found in Mr Jankovic's droids".

Almost unconsciously Betty reached down to touch her legs, covering her hands in a dark viscous fluid. She began to shake with annoyance, if she hadn't done that then no one would've seen. No one had an angle on her from this position. Before Vicenzo could aim his weapon in her direction, she shook her right arm and a long metal pole slipped down her sleeve. With a swiftness that belied her size, she jammed one end into the actor's ribs. Several thousand volts of electricity ripped through his body as he began to twitch and spasm. Betty used the opportunity to snatch the blaster from him and point it directly at Lazlso. The head of Columbia wasn't fully facing in her direction so wouldn't have a line of sight with his own weapon, "Drop it", she hissed dangerously. Lazslo did as he was told and slowly placed the weapon on the floor, "Stand over there with the others", she added, "you too Sparks, can't have you running off".

"Betty?" Charlie sighed, "please tell me it isn't true".

"Why don't you think I'm capable?" she growled, "just because I'm a comedy actress, that means I'm not smart enough to pull this off". She flicked the safety off the weapon and began to charge the weapons pack, "I nearly got away with this too if it hadn't been for these meddling travellers".

"Don't play smart with me Betty", the Doctor slowly raised her hands defensively, "I'm better at it".

"But you weren't though Doctor", she bit back sarcastically, "you thought this was all some elaborate movie story line". She cocked the weapon to load the charge, "Truth is I was jealous of Caroline's position and wanted it for myself".

Lazslo snorted with laughter, causing Betty to point the weapon directly at him, "Small piece of advice", Jenny began, "don't annoy the crazy woman with the huge gun".

"Oh I'm far from crazy Little Miss Smartypants", Betty cackled, "would a crazy person use her families knowledge to hack Jankovic's own droids and turn them against him". The Doctor opened her mouth to respond but wisely decided to close it again, "Funny thing about droids is they're full of information so imagine my surprise when contained data about the treatments used to repress Caroline's aging gene. All I had to do then was reverse the treatment and voila, instant mummy".

"And Mitchell", Clara asked cautiously, "why did he deserve to die?"

"He was a horrible person", Betty shrugged nonchalantly, "everyone dreamed of killing him but I was the only one brave enough to follow through". She took aim with her weapon and prepared to fire, "All that's left is to destroy the evidence of my crime".

The Doctor stepped forward with a small smile on her face, "Before you scatter our atoms I've got two things to make you aware of. Firstly those guns are harmless, I switched them out for the prop one's back in the armoury". Betty grudgingly looked at the bottom of her blaster and to her horror, saw the white cross on the charge pack, "I mean why would someone who openly voiced their dislike of guns hand them out to you?" A furious look flashed across Betty's face, the Doctor had outwitted her and she knew it, "Secondly those guys would like a word with you", she added and pointed over Betty's shoulder.

The actress span around and practically crashed into a large creature dressed in a leather suit. The rhino like features send shivers through her body, "J-Judoon", she stammered, "you called the Judoon".

A dozen more Judoon marched towards the actress until they encircled her, "Technically I called the Shadow Proclamation", the Time Lady answered, "the Judoon are just their hired thugs". The lead Judoon walked towards the Doctor and thrust something into her arms. Once the Doctor got the wind back into her lungs, she read the information the datapad. With each word that she read, the greater the frown deepened on her face, "I see", she said quietly, "well if that's the law", she turned and began to walk away.

One of the Judoon grabbed Lazslo roughly, locking a pair of electromagnetic handcuffs around his wrist, "What's the meaning of this you great brutes, I'm Lazlso Jankovic, you can't do this to me".

"Oh but they can", the Doctor began grimly, "see Columbia doesn't technically have a constitution or any laws governing murder. It seems that the Shadow Proclamation have decided that because of that, you are partially responsible for what's happened here today".

Everyone gasped in shock, that wasn't something they were expecting. Everyone except the Doctor who didn't seem bothered in the slightest, "You knew", Lazslo seethed in the Time Lady's direction, "from the very beginning you knew this would happen". The Doctor decided not to listen to the man's ranting and walked away without saying a word in his direction, "You haven't heard the last of Lazslo Jankovic Doctor, I will have my vengeance".

The Doctor was almost out of the Western set when Clara caught up with her. She had tuned out most of the noise from the commotion behind her and didn't hear her companion calling her name. Grasping her hand firmly, Clara spun the Time Lady around and looked her directly in the eye, "What will happen to them Doctor?"

"What do you think will happen Clara?" the Doctor shook her head, "Two counts of murder and several counts of attempted murder against Betty and don't get me started on Lazslo's list of crimes".

"So you're acting as their judge, jury and executioner then?" Clara seethed against the unfeeling tone of the Doctor, "I thought you were better than this".

"I am not their executioner", the Time Lady growled, "but without a constitution, Columbia is subject to intergalactic law. There's nothing I can do about that".

"By you could at least defend them, don't just walk away without a care in the world", the English teacher shook her head in disbelief.

"What would have me do", an exasperated Doctor cried, "both of them are criminals and I'm not in the business of rescuing murderers and despots". She fixed the teacher with a hard glare, in her opinion Lazslo had fostered an atmosphere of fear and hate. Betty was a product of the mess he created, "If you want to plead for their lives then be my guest. Humans caused this mess so a human should fix it".

Clara stared at the woman she had called her friend, a few tears stinging her eyes. This was a different side of the Doctor, an angry and vengeful Doctor. It was a side that she didn't like one bit. For the first time seen meeting the alien, she was genuinely scared for her personal safety. She had nearly been killed on several occasions, deliberately kept in the dark by someone she considered her friend and been brushed aside like she was dirt on the bottom of someone's shoe. Columbia had been her own personal hell and she couldn't wait to leave. She pushed past the Doctor and headed for the TARDIS without saying a word to the Time Lady.


	10. 7: Then It All Crashes Down

_Chapter 10 – Then It All Crashes Down..._

The TARDIS felt extremely uncomfortable. Not just the atmosphere within the time ship, the old girl herself felt awkward. The gentle hum that usually comforted the Doctor practically made her skin itch instead. Columbia was meant to be a dream location to relax with her daughter and best friend but it had turned into a nightmare. The Time Lady did a few investigations into the events of the day but there were no excuses for the murderous behaviour of the locals. There were no signs of psychic interfere or mind altering drugs, not even the rare Demonus insect swarm which created a berserk like state in its victims could excuse Betty. What the Doctor and the others had witnessed was human greed and jealousy at its worst.

The Doctor wasn't a total apologist for the human race. She knew first hand that the species had its faults. Suspicious, territorial and overly emotional were just some of the failings of humanity. What the Doctor loved was the way that the majority rejected these biological traits. She had witnessed great compassion and kindness from humanity at times when made other species would've completely turned against each other. The good generally outweighed the bad but today, the scales were weighed heavily on the negative side.

The Judoon had taken Betty and Lazslo away so the Shadow Proclamation could decide their fate. It was largely a foregone conclusion though. The Proclamation wouldn't waste too much energy on a pair of humans. They would take a look at their list of crimes and summon the firing squad before the pair knew what hit them. Sitting alone in the library, guilt ate away at the Time Lady. Had she allowed her righteous anger to overwhelm her sense of compassion? She snorted and shook her head, she was the person who had disposed with the Family of Blood in a series of cruel punishments. Somehow throwing Betty and Lazslo at the mercy of the Shadow Proclamation seemed tame in comparison.

There was also Clara to think about. The teacher had barely said a word since returning to the TARDIS. She had deliberately avoided eye contact on a number of occasions before disappearing into her room. Jenny was also acting equally as cool, the telepathic link was muted and she wasn't getting anything from her daughter. Today hadn't just brought out the worst in humanity, it had brought out the worst in the Doctor as well.

Deciding it was time to face the music, the Time Lady stretched her weary limbs and meandered towards the console room. She could tell by the movement in the Time Rotor that they were in flight. Clara rested against one of the metal frames surrounding the console, her arms firmly clenched against her body and her gaze fixed firmly on the floor. Jenny made no attempt to interact with the teacher or the Doctor, choosing to monitor the control closely. Perhaps a little closer than was actually necessary, "Charlie's gone then?" the Doctor asked quietly.

A silent and uncomfortable hush was the only response the Doctor received. Eventually Jenny nodded slowly, "Yeah, patched him up as best as I could", she paused to allow herself time to twist a valve on the console, "he didn't feel like sticking around. He wanted a little bit of time to remember his best friend".

In all the commotion, the Doctor had forgotten about the human tragedies. Charlie's best friend had turned out to be a cruel and psychopathic murderer who was more than likely going to be executed for her crimes. The person he thought he knew best, it turned out he barely knew her at all. Caroline Caruthers didn't have a family but she was be mourned by her legion of fans across the galaxy. The Doctor was sure that someone would miss Mitchell but she never really looked past his grouchy exterior. True he wasn't well liked but that didn't make him a horrible person.

"I didn't have a choice", the Time Lady said, piercing the heavy atmosphere, "with no local law enforcement, the only people left to call were the Shadow Proclamation". That statement was something that the Doctor had repeated to herself like a mantra over the last few hours. What would she have done if the Judoon hadn't arrived at that moment? Between them they probably would've overpowered Betty but what then? She had a potential army of droids that she could've manipulated to serve her. Plus who knows what Lazslo would've done with a known murder. Either executed her personally or more likely, exploited her crimes in an attempt to make some money.

"We know", Clara answered for Jenny, "but that doesn't mean we have to like it". She kept her gaze away from the Doctor, stubbornly refusing to meet her gaze.

The Doctor wasn't equipped to handle situations like this. A wave of her sonic screwdriver wasn't going to solve an almost complete breakdown in trust between the trio. Without any else to fall back on, she opted to try and push it aside until everyone had calmed down, "So where are we going?" she asked and tried to look at the controls.

"Home", Clara answered with a quiet whisper, "I'm going home".

Those three words pierced the Doctor's hearts and sent a wave of fear through her body. She had a question on the tip of her tongue but was almost too afraid to ask it. Swallowing her fears she croaked out, "Permanently?"

Clara shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know", she sighed, "I just don't know if I can do this right", she admitted.

For a couple of seconds the Time Lady stared impassively at her friend. Today had been a sequence of nightmares and it looked like her worst fears were being played out right in front of her, "I see", the Doctor replied flatly. The TARDIS suddenly became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. The older Time Lady chewed on her lip and kept her gaze on anything that wasn't Clara. "Maybe we should admit this isn't working out and go our separate ways", she finally added with a heavy sigh.

That wasn't a statement Clara was expecting to hear. She thought the Doctor would nod sadly, let her gather her thoughts for a couple of days before returning back to the open universe. Instead it felt like she was kicked her out of the TARDIS, "This isn't the first time we've fallen out recently, maybe that's nature's way of telling us that our run together is over", the dark haired woman continued.

"Oh", Clara uttered softly. The wheeze of the engines told the pair that the TARDIS had landed safely back in London, "So this is it then?"

"If that's what you want", the Doctor said, looking straight up at the ceiling. Her face was blank but underneath she was a torrent of emotions. Her stoic mask prevented her from completely breaking down. Clara grabbed her discarded jacket and inched towards the door, fully expecting the Doctor to say something else. Instead the Time Lady remained fixed to the spot, refusing to even acknowledge her existence.

The school teacher opened the TARDIS door and stepped out into her dimly lit flat. Her hand lingered on the door handle for a few seconds, expecting to be called back. She had been the one to ask for some time to think but she hadn't expected things to reach this point. When it became clear that the Doctor wasn't moving she gently shut the door and stepped away from the TARDIS. The moment the time ship groaned into life, the dam broke and Clara burst into tears. She sank to her knees and sobbed loudly, she didn't know what she wanted out of her life with the Doctor but she certainly didn't want things to end like this. "Clara?" Danny's voice called out from her bedroom. Her boyfriend rushed into the front room and the moment he laid eyes on his devastated girlfriend, he wrapped his arms tightly around her body and let her cry into his shoulder.

Inside the TARDIS the Doctor angrily slapped a couple of switches into the correct position, letting off some steam that had built up inside her, "What the hell was that all about?" an incredulous Jenny cried from behind her. The Doctor was so wrapped up in her own feelings that she didn't hear her daughter the first time, "Hey I said what the hell was that?" she repeated her question in a slightly harsher tone.

Hitting another switch the Doctor replied, "Clearly Clara is unhappy travelling with me, this is the second time she's asked me to leave her alone". She slapped her hand against the console surface, "We're better off without each other", she muttered softly.

A red mist descended on Jenny. She stepped forward and slapped her mother around the back of her head with as much force as she dared. The older Time Lady recoiled in pain before shoot her daughter with an angry look, "For a supposedly intelligent being you can be really thick sometimes", Jenny cried, "Clara's been through a traumatic experience but you're so wrapped up in your own thoughts that you didn't stop to consider someone else".

"For course I did", the Doctor snapped, "but the TARDIS isn't something you can hop in and out of at leisure".

"That's exactly what it's meant to be", Jenny pulled at her red hair in frustration, "sure dangerous stuff is going to happen but some of us actually have emotions that we need to deal with, especially after a day like today". The Doctor recoiled at Jenny's words, did her daughter really see her as an unfeeling person who didn't care about others? Did Clara think the same way too?

The Doctor was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Jenny grab her jacket and Vortex Manipulator until the red head was ready to depart, "Where are you going?" she asked fearfully.

"Away from you", Jenny snapped, "maybe I'll apologise to Clara for having an idiot for a mother whilst I'm at it". With one prod of her vortex manipulator Jenny disappeared, leaving a shell shocked Doctor alone in her TARDIS. The crushing emptiness coupled with her guilt at her own selfish actions forced a tear down her cheek. If she wasn't leaning on the console, she probably would've collapsed.

A flash of light illuminated a street in Shoreditch as Jenny landing near Clara's block of flat. She checked her manipulator and groaned in annoyance. In her anger and desperation to get away she had entered the wrong co-ordinates. She had arrived three days after Clara left the TARDIS rather than the three minutes like she had planned, "Great, who knows how Clara's feeling now".

Thrusting her hands into her pockets, she marched towards the end of the street only to find her path blocked by three men in dark uniforms. She slowed her pace only to find three more men directly behind her. Stretching out her telepathy into the local area she left at least twelve presences converging on her location. Scrap that, make it thirteen people. Jenny froze, this new presence felt very familiar to her. He was also standing right behind her.

She turned around slowly and came face to face with a heavily muscled man with dark skin and a closely shaved head. Actually face to chest was probably a more accurate description as this man towered over Jenny by nearly a foot. For a brief second Jenny hoped this mountain of a man didn't recognise her. She had regenerated since they last met. The snarled aimed firmly in her direction told its own story, "Jenny, how nice it is to see you again", he called out in a booming voice, "you should know that no amount of surgery would stop me from finding you".

Jenny was slightly relieved, he thought her new appearance was down to artificial surgery rather than her biology. That was good, she still had that ace up her sleeve. She was debating how best to fight her way out of this situation when suddenly, she began to feel very sleepy, "I know that you can fight girl", the man snarled, "did you think I wouldn't take any precautions". He chuckled loudly as Jenny slumped to the ground, completely unconscious. The large man nodded his head and in a flash of light everyone disappeared, leaving no trace of them behind.

 **END OF EPISODE 7**

 _ **A/N -** Yeah so that happened. Is this the end of TARDIS life for Clara and who's kidnapped Jenny? Episode 8 will be up in a couple of weeks so until then..._


	11. Episode 8: Time Hustle

_Episode 8 – Time Hustle_

 _Chapter 1_

The walls of Clara's flat were bouncing to sound of music, specifically a Spotify playlist packed with 90's pop music. Clara herself wasn't a huge fan of the genre but it reminded her of her youth when times were much simpler. Back then she didn't have to worry about alien invasion fleets and psychopathic murderers from the future. She also didn't have to worry about the Doctor, her erstwhile friend who had seemingly abandoned her for good.

After returning from Columbia, Clara spent the following day languishing in bed. Her experience on the planet had shaken her to the core and she had trouble getting to sleep. During those lengthy periods of insomnia she had plenty of time to think about the Time Lady. Clara wondered if the Doctor had been right, things hadn't felt the same since her regeneration but that give her the excuse to dump her back home without so much as a goodbye. Sadness soon turned into anger by Sunday evening and Danny quickly regretting staying over that day as he felt the full brunt of Clara's fury at the Doctor. In an effort to cheer her up, Danny had suggested a mid week date night. Clara felt a little apprehensive when she found out it was the same restaurant where the couple had gone on their first date. That night didn't end particularly well but surely lightning couldn't strike twice.

Wanting to make sure that she looked her best, Clara took one last look in her bedroom mirror. Her outfit for the night drew inspiration from the classic heist movies of the 50's and 60's. She teamed a pair of loose dark red trousers with a white blouse and a matching blazer. To complete the gender flipped rat pack look, she added a skinny black tie to the ensemble. She checked her eye make up again to make sure that it had the perfect level of smokiness before grabbing her purse and keys off the dresser.

She was slipping on her tallest pair of heels when there was a frantic banging at her door. She frowned and cautiously approached the door. Her block of flats was usually quite peaceful but this area of London still had a few unsavoury characters and Clara was usually reluctant to open the door to unexpected visitors. Clara peeped through the spy hole and quickly recoiled, that was the last person she expected to knock on her door. She was tempted to ignore it but the banging continued and Clara knew that her guest wouldn't give up until she answered.

Clara drew a deep breath and ran through a few things that she wanted to say to her visitor. All those thoughts quickly went out the window the second the door opened. Her vision was suddenly filled with purple and black as the uninvited guest wrapped her arms firmly around the school teacher, "Clara, oh Clara thank goodness you're here", the Doctor said quickly, "I know I was horrible to you but I really need your help and I have absolutely no one else to turn to".

This wasn't the greeting that Clara was expecting and it completely caught her off guard. She was reluctant to hug the Doctor back though, she was still incredibly angry with the dark haired woman. There was definitely something up with the Time Lady though. There was a frantic almost desperate tone to her voice which Clara was used to hearing from the woman. The Doctor was normally so in control that she didn't expect to hear her sounding so emotional. As the Time Lady pulled back Clara noticed that the Doctor's normally perfectly styled hair was a mess and her eyes were a little bloodshot. Either she had been crying recently or she hadn't slept in a very long time. It was hard to be angry with the Time Lady when she looked such a mess so Clara decided to keep her tone polite yet business like, "Doctor", she began, "is everything alright?"

The Doctor's mouth flapped a couple of times until she managed to form the correct words, "Jenny's missing", she stuttered, "she came to find you because I was such a bitch towards you, really sorry for that by the way, I will apologise properly later but my daughter's been missing for several days and I have no idea when or where to look anymore-".

"Alright Doctor slow down", Clara gestured for the Time Lady to stop speaking. Despite the quick fire rate with which the sentence had been delivered, Clara managed to take most of the content in. Evidently Jenny had come looking for her, probably not long after her own departure from the TARDIS and had somehow disappeared. Clara guessed that Jenny had used her vortex manipulator so if that had malfunctioned, the red head could be anywhere in time and space. "Let's start at the beginning", Clara said, "how did you know that Jenny could be here?"

"Tracked her manipulator", the Doctor replied, visibly looking a little calmer now, "located a signal in this area and guessed she missed your return date by a few days". Silence descended on the pair, neither of them really knew what to say to the other. There was plenty to discuss but with Jenny apparently missing, this didn't seem like the time or place.

"Can you think of anyone who would want to take her?" Clara asked. She was pretty certain that Jenny wouldn't run away from the Doctor, unless the argument they had was really severe. Even then Jenny had spent a good chunk of her life trying to find the Doctor again. To disappear without a word knowing how she felt when the Doctor did exactly that seemed out of character for the young Time Lady.

The raven haired woman in question was nervously biting her nails and only appeared to be half listening to Clara's question, "Not that I know of", she mumbled in reply, "then again Jenny doesn't talk much about what she did in her previous life". Clara had noticed that as well, whenever she asked Jenny about the things she had gotten up to between Messaline and meeting the Doctor again, she tended to be vague with her answers. She hadn't put the pieces together until then but could the evasiveness mean that the younger Time Lady had something to hide?" "You look nice", the Doctor commented, "did I catch you at a bad time?"

Clara wasn't sure how to answer that question. Despite her anger towards the Time Lady, she didn't want her to disappear into the night, never to be seen again. She had to be honest though, the Doctor was many things but wasn't stupid. Ignorant possibly but definitely not stupid, "Kind of", she said hesitantly, "I have a date with Danny in half an hour".

"Oh", the Doctor's face fell and she bit her lip, "well don't let me interrupt your plans", she turned slowly and headed for the door, "sorry to have disturbed you", she added with a small voice and began to leave.

A small part of Clara wanted to let her leave but she felt some sort of affection towards the Doctor. To leave her alone to search for Jenny just didn't seem right, "Wait", she called out and checked that she had her mobile phone, "I'll help you look but you have to promise me that you'll get me back for my date". A small bit of hope crept into the Doctor's eyes and she nodded in agreement.

Clara locked up her flat and followed the Doctor closely down the stairs and out into the car park. She spotted the TARDIS parked in the middle of the empty space without making an attempt to blend in. The Doctor was already several paces ahead of the school teacher and was about to open the doors to the time ship, "I picked up a strong signal in King's Road", the Time Lady called out, "that's seems as good a place as any to start". The school teacher nodded stiffly, reminding herself that she was doing this for Jenny most of all, "Let me just grab something from the TARDIS and we'll-".

The Doctor was cut off mid sentence because she had disappeared in a flash of blue light, leaving Clara alone in the car park. Whatever or whoever had taken the Doctor had done so without any prior warning and in theory they could take her too. She ran for the TARDIS but before she could reach the door, the same flash of blue light engulf her, transporting her away from Shoreditch and Earth entirely.

Somewhere not near Earth, Jenny was alone in a small metal cell. There was just enough room to contain the chair she was sitting on and not much else. Her hands were tied behind her back and she could feel something cold and metallic rubbing against her right wrist. It couldn't be a pair of handcuffs, it felt too large and bulky. Fortunately her vortex manipulator remained in place, that was probably the only positive point so far.

With only the metal door to admire, Jenny had plenty of time to think since her capture. She hadn't seen the building where she was being held which made traditional methods of escape difficult. If she could release her hands then she could teleport herself out using her vortex manipulator. The only problem was that she knew who her captor was and evidently he had a way of tracking her across time and space which left her open to being captured again. Quite where the General had gotten access to time travel technology she had no idea. If the man wasn't a dangerous psycho then she might be inclined to stick around to find out but right now, she wanted to put as much distance between her and this place as possible.

As she was struggling to reach the controls to her manipulator, the door forcefully opened. The hulking mountain of a man that she had seen earlier loomed into view. Somehow he squeezed his bulk through the frame and forcefully dragged Jenny, still tied to the chair out into the main hallway. Jenny could feel the vibrations underneath her feet, indicating that she was on board some kind of starship, "I hope you weren't thinking of escaping", the man chuckled.

"Wouldn't dream of it General Jackson", Jenny offered a cheeky smirk, "I can still call you General right, even though you're no longer running your country".

General Balthazar Jackson tightly clenched his fists into balls and seemed to be having an internal debate about lashing out against the Time Lady. After a few moments his anger seemed to pass and he let out a booming chuckle that severely unnerved the Time Lady, "Oh you're definitely Jenny", he began, "I must admit that if my associate hadn't tipped me off to your real identity then I never would've found you".

Standing just behind Jenny was a tall man with short brown hair. He was standing underneath a burned out light so Jenny couldn't get a good look at his features but he was wearing a long dark coat with light coloured shirt underneath, "My associate has also told me about the vortex manipulator on your wrist", General Jackson continued, "so don't even think about using it to escape because I will find you again".

Jenny ground her teeth in frustration, her primary method of escape was now out the window, "Forgive me General but I must take my leave", the man called out with a smooth voice, "but my boss keeps me to a tight schedule".

"Very well", the General said grudgingly, "but this makes me even with your people now".

There was a brief silence before the man answered, "Of course, try not to get yourself into his debt again". With that parting shot the man disappeared into the shadows before leaving the ship all together.

"Another lackey General", Jenny began, "I thought all of them were under arrest".

"All thanks to you", the General roared, "I will never forgive you for removing me from power".

"You were a despot who didn't deserve power", Jenny spat back, "removing you was the right thing to do". The second part of her sentence was delivered a little more hesitantly like only half believed what she was saying.

General Jackson looked out of the viewing window at the planet far below. It was a mixture of sea and land, not to dissimilar from Earth, "Macadia was my home", he said wistfully, "and you and those blasted rebels kicked me out without due cause".

"I'm sure the people falsely imprisoned in your labour camps didn't complain", Jenny replied, "I'm not helping you return to power Jackson if that's what you want".

"I don't think you're in a position to bargain with me Jenny", Jackson began, "I've ensured your compliance two different ways. Firstly that device on your wrist", Jenny remembered the metal band she felt, "that's a thermal grenade. If I sense you're not complying with my wishes then I'll detonate it without a second thought".

Jenny was suddenly very alert, having a thermal grenade explode anywhere near her would certainly be fatal. Not even regeneration could save her from that, "And the second thing?" she want to ask that question but she had to know what the General had in mind.

Almost on the cue the doors at the far end of the room opened and two guards were pushing in a couple of people that Jenny immediately recognised as the Doctor and Clara. Both of them had been restrained and also had a large metal bracelet on their wrists, "Ah I see you recognise them", the General smile maliciously, "do I have your attention now Jenny", he added with a dangerous whisper. Jenny shot with her angriest look but she was in a tight point and reluctantly had to listen to this mad man's request.

 ** _A/N -_** _There's a couple of primary influcences for this story. Firstly is the "Time Heist" episode from the actual Series 8, although this story bares no resembalance to that episode. This is more like a classic heist movie or aTV show like Hustle or Leverage_

 _Couple of other things, I've updated my Flickr page with a images that apply to this episode, including face claims for a couple of characters. Finally I'm going to close the poll to determine the fate of Danny at the end of this episode. The "Save Danny" campaign has worked wonders and the majority of you want to see him live. If you want to change that, go to my profile and cast your vote._


	12. 8: The General

_Chapter 2 – The General_

General Jackson's question hung in the air as Jenny's gaze flicked quickly between her mother and Clara. The school teacher's expression bordered on annoyance, probably because she had been kidnapped and dragged to a far flung corner of the galaxy. The Doctor though couldn't hide her relief at seeing Jenny again. The young Time Lady was acutely aware that she had been missing for three days, seventeen hours and four minutes. She wasn't sure why the Doctor and Clara were together again. The only two possible explanations were that her mother had offered a grovelling apology or she had gotten so desperate in her search that she dropped in unannounced on Clara. The red head quickly realised that the latter was the most likely thing to have happened.

Returning to the General's request for compliance, she didn't really have a choice. Even without the Doctor and Clara as leverage she still would've said yes. Not out of a genuine want to help Jackson but out of self preservation, "Alright", she practically whispered, "what do you want?"

"Hang on", Clara raised her hand as much as her restrains would allow, "who are you and where are we?"

"That is General Balthazar Jackson", the Doctor replied with distain, "and since we're on a ship in orbit above the planet Estratos and not in his palace, I will guess that he is now the former dictator of Macadia".

General Jackson sniffed and slowly approached the dark haired woman. He drew himself up to his full height, easily towering over the Doctor, "I've been warned about you", he said quietly, "too talkative for your own good".

If the huge physically presence of Jackson was intimidating the Doctor she wasn't showing it. She held his gaze and did her best to return the glare, "Do what you're best at, that's what I always say", the Time Lady stated. General Jackson offered a small smile in return but didn't remove himself from the Doctor's personal space, "Tell me General, how long ago was the revolution?"

Out the corner of her eye, Clara saw Jenny wince as she waited for the General to reply. The school teacher frowned, why would Jenny be afraid of the answer? "Three years", Jackson responded, "three years since Espanoza's troops and blondie deposed me as the rightful ruler of Macadia".

"Three years?" the Doctor mumbled, "wait, do you mean Armando Espanoza?" Jackson looked confused by nodded in response. The Doctor looked past the giant of a man until she met Jenny's gaze, "Then we have a serious problem General", she continued, not once removing her stare from Jenny. Clara watched as the red head sunk further into her chair. She wanted to ask the Doctor what the relevance of this was but the Time Lady cut her off before she got the chance to speak, "I assume you've kidnapped us for a reason?"

The former leader of Macadia slowly backed away until he had the trio completely in his line of vision, "Being an exile doesn't give me much in the way of wealth", he began, "the way I see it, Jenny here owes me some kind of compensation".

"I owe you nothing Jackson", Jenny spat.

"Now Jenny", the Doctor interrupted her daughter's rant with a sweet tone, "let's not annoy General Jackson". Clara glared at the Doctor, wondering what she was up to. The Time Lady mouthed something about 'later' before turning back to the General, "What sort of compensation?"

General Jackson too wondered what game the Doctor was playing. From his conversation with this associate, he knew that the Time Lady was fond of elaborate schemes to ultimately save the day. He was cautious but he knew that he held a trump card, the thermal grenades strapped to her wrist, "The El Nori diamond", he answered, "that seems adequate repayment for my distress".

Jenny snorted, "The El Nori diamond has been missing for years, believe me I was part an expedition to try and find it". The Doctor glanced over at her daughter, wondering what other revelations she was going to find out about today.

"Not missing", Jackson offered a malevolent smile, "simply safe inside my vault in the Presidential Palace". He paused and cracked his knuckles, "A vault that I no longer have access to".

"What makes you think that the new President hasn't flogged it?" Clara asked, "if he can access the vault then surely he has access to the diamond as well".

"Very good question my pretty little friend", Jackson's reply and creepy grin made Clara's skin crawl. She kept her thoughts firmly on Danny to avoid showing any kind of dissent towards this man. "The El Nori diamond is one of a kind, arguably the most valuable gem in the galaxy. If that fraud had sold it then the news would be full of stories about its rediscovery". It was a logical argument provided by this psychopath, the value of the El Nori diamond was probably the same as the entire wealth of a small planet. You wouldn't be able to quietly sell something of that value. "Plus the diamond is held in an impenetrable section of the vault that only I have access to".

"So how are we going to access it then", Jenny groaned, "we can hardly smuggle you back into the Palace to get into the vault".

Jackson moved so he stood over Jenny, slowly pulling out a knife. For a few moments the Doctor, Clara and Jenny were concerned that he was going to cut the young Time Lady with the blade but instead, he used it to release her bonds. With a wave of his hand, he instructed his guards to release Clara and the Doctor, "That Jenny is for you to figure out", he replied. He pulled out a tablet device and showed the screen to the trio, "You have three days from now to get into the palace and steal that diamond". The screen displayed a clock that was counting down from three days.

"And if we don't get the diamond?" Clara gulped, she had a vague idea of what his answered would be and wondered how she found herself in this situation.

"Then your next accessory won't be a bracelet but a halo and a pair of angel wings", he said brightly, like he was looking forward to their imminent death. "Don't try to run away or remove the explosive because I'll know", he waived the tablet under their noses before roughly tapping the screen.

In a flash of blue light, the trio were teleported back to twenty first century Earth, specifically the car park outside Clara's flat. They landed in a crash on the hard concrete, falling into a tangled heap on the ground, "I really hate travelling that way", the Doctor grumbled as she disentangled herself from the others.

Jenny slowly got to her feet and stood opposite her mother. There was a slightly disapproving look on the older Time Lady's face, probably due to her daughter's part in a revolution on a far distant planet. The red head shuffled on the spot and nervously bit her lip, "Mum I-".

She didn't get a chance to continue as the Doctor engulfed her in a tight hug, "Oh Jenny", the dark haired woman gasped, "don't scare me like that again". She pulled her daughter's head closer to her own, fearful that if she let go Jenny would disappear again. A couple of tears fell into Jenny's hair before the Doctor let her go and wiped her face, "We have much to talk about though", she added with a sterner voice.

Clara meanwhile watched the scene unfold in front of her and felt a little awkward. As mother and daughter embraced, she slowly began to back way, "I should leave you two to catch up", she said, "good to see you again Jenny".

As Clara turned to walk away she heard the red head call out, "You can't leave yet Clara, you're still armed", the school teacher froze, suddenly remembering the explosive device on her wrist. She assumed that the two Time Ladies would solve the problem without her, "I need your help with this", the younger Time Lady implored.

"Just you Jenny?" Clara turned around and stared at the Doctor. It wasn't long ago that the raven haired woman had evicted her from the TARDIS. She couldn't imagine that the Time Lady would want her on board again so soon after that.

To her surprise the Doctor nodded, "We both do, if we're going to save ourselves then we need to work as a team". As the Time Lady opened the TARDIS door she invited Clara to enter first and when it seemed like she was going to refuse, the Doctor's face fell slightly. Letting out a deep sigh the teacher crossed her arms in front of her chest and marched into the TARDIS, "We will have our talk shortly Clara", the older Time Lady called out, "but first, I want a word with my daughter about interfering with an established time line".

Jenny was the last one into the TARDIS and shut the door firmly behind her, "I didn't know about established time lines, fixed points or anything like that back then", she protested, "I was still a child then, I thought I was helping the right people".

"You still are a child", the Doctor scolded her daughter, "but I guess you know what you did wrong?"

Jenny nodded and replied with a meek voice, "I didn't listen to my time senses", she sighed, "ever since I regenerated I've regretted ever going to Macadia. I can feel its time line polluting its surroundings like an oil slick".

"Sorry to interrupt", Clara interjected, "could someone give me a quick history lesson about this Jackson guy and whatever it is that you're talking about".

The Doctor walked up the metal grate and stopped at the console. She turned on a viewing screen and twisted it around to show Clara, "Macadia, a small country on the planet of Estratos in the late twenty seventh century", she began her history lesson. "A country rich in natural resources it was led by General Balthazar Jackson until a populist uprising replaced his military dictatorship with this man". The screen changed to show a male in his forties with greying hair and friendly looking face, "Cristiano Da Costa, he would wipe out all of Jackson's evils and lead his country into a golden age".

"That's what should have happened", Jenny admitted with a hint of shame, "except someone changed the course of Macadia's history", she perched against the console and sighed, "me".

The Doctor changed the image to show another man, this one was a few years older than Da Costa. He had greasy looking hair and dark bags around his eyes, "Armando Espanoza, after Da Costa's revolution he was found to be a traitor. On the surface he supported Da Costa but he was plotting to seize power for himself".

Noticing that Jenny was biting her nails nervously, Clara abandoned the history lesson and perched herself next to her friend, "What happened Jenny?" she asked softly.

After a few moments the red head replied, "I met both of them, Da Costa and Espanoza and I offered to help them. Da Costa's forces used the tunnels to seize the palace from below", she paused and swallowed deeply, "I led Espanoza and his team in a frontal assault and thanks to my training...", he voice trailed off.

"You beat Da Costa into the palace", Clara filled in the blanks, "giving Espanoza the glory and perfect platform to seize power for himself".

"Just like he wanted all along", Jenny kicked the floor in frustration, "I didn't know any of this until a few years later when I dropped in again about six months after the revolution. That's when I realised I had made a massive mistake".

Clara placed an arm around the young Time Lady in an attempt to comfort her and in response, Jenny placed her head on the teacher's shoulder. They stayed like that for a few moments which gave the Doctor time to calm down. Disrupting an established time line wasn't as bad as breaking a fixed point but it was pretty close. The Doctor though had done it several times herself, the memory of toppling Harriett Jones and denying Britain its golden age was still pretty fresh for her. She couldn't be angry at Jenny when she was just as guilty, "We can fix this Jenny", the older Time Lady said softly, "all you need to do is come up with a plan".

"Me?" Jenny's head snapped up, that wasn't something she was expecting to hear from her mother, "are you saying that this is my mistake so I should fix it?" she added accusingly.

"I wouldn't put it as bluntly as that", the Doctor answered, "you personally know more about the revolution and the people involved than I do. Your experience with the country could be invaluable".

A lighter and brighter Jenny practically jumped from her perch, "You're right", she smiled, "I've let this bother me for too long".

"It's never too late to correct a mistake Jenny", the Doctor added.

The red head smirked at her mother, "I'm going to plan our next move, perhaps this will give you time to fix your own mistake Mum". Before the Doctor or Clara could respond Jenny left the console room, leaving the older Time Lady and her estranged companion alone for what promised to be a very awkward conversation.


	13. 8: You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise

_Chapter 3 –You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise  
_

As the sound of Jenny's footsteps disappeared into the distance, an uncomfortable looking Doctor and Clara stood alone in the console. The school teacher leaned casually against the console, looking directly at the metal floor. She did look up occasionally stole a glance at the Time Lady, who was cutting a rather awkward figure inside her own ship. Clara could almost sense the words that the raven haired woman wanted to say but nothing was coming out of her woman. She wanted to give the Time Lady a prod in the right direction but then Clara remembered she was angry with her and chose to remain silent.

Time passed for the pair without a word being spoken. Eventually it was the Doctor who broke the silence, "You look nice today", she said in a croaky voice.

"You've already said that once", Clara snorted without making eye contact with the alien woman.

"Oh", the Doctor sighed, "I'm not very good at this kind of thing".

"What, being a civilised person", the words tumbled out of Clara's mouth before she had a chance to stop them. She looked up at the Time Lady and expected her to be angry but instead there was a pained expression on her face. Clara swore that she could see the aliens hearts breaking in front of her, "I'm sorry", Clara said softly, her voice heavy with guilt, "that was out of order".

Silence again fell and Clara half expected the Time Lady to order her out of the TARDIS again. To her surprise the Doctor replied, "No, I think that was an acceptable response". The woman pushed her dark hair away from her face and fixed her gaze on Clara, "I should be the one apologising to you".

"Yes you should", Clara replied flatly with a shake of her head, "when you threw me out, that almost crushed me Doctor", a very guilty and remorseful look flashed across the Time Lady's face, "but do you know what hurts even more", the Doctor shook her head, "I don't even know what I did wrong". The Time Lady chewed on her lip and looked close to breaking down, "Can you at least tell me what I did wrong", Clara added, choking on the last few words.

The Doctor rushed forward and grasped Clara's hands. The teacher briefly flinched at the contact but chose not to free herself from the woman's grasp, "Clara you didn't do anything wrong", the Time Lady said firmly. She tried to squeeze out a few more words but every time she tried, nothing came out.

Clara was conflicted, flipped quickly between anger and sympathy for the alien woman. She decided that if she wanted answers then she would need to push her anger aside for the time being, at least until she knew what the Doctor's reasons were, "Then what is it?" she asked softly.

"I", the Time Lady stammered, "I didn't want you to leave me".

A deep frown formed on Clara's face, that wasn't the answer she was expecting, "You didn't want me to leave so to stop that from happening, you throw me out". She shook her head and blew a few loose strands of face away from her eyes, "Is there some weird alien logic at work here because that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard".

"I sensed that you were uncomfortable on the TARDIS", the Doctor dropped Clara's hands and turned away, leaning on the metal railings for support, "you've been conflicted about staying on board because of Danny".

"So you kicked me out because you were jealous?" Clara folded her arms across her chest.

"I wasn't jealous", the Doctor spat, "but I knew you would never choose between me or Danny. I thought you were going to leave, like every other companion I've had so I chose to make the first move". She let out a deep sigh and continued, "I guess my anger and frustration at the events on Columbia clouded my judgement because I know that I was wrong", she snorted bitterly, "just a stupid, old woman".

Suddenly things looked a little clearer for Clara, like a fog had been lifted from her mind. The Doctor's actions were not due to Clara but the Time Lady's own fears and insecurities. That didn't excuse the raven haired woman though, something of this nature should've been discussed before any rash action was taken. The question that was forming in Clara's mind now was would it happen again? Would, one day in the future, the Doctor decide what was best for her without giving it a second though. She didn't want to stop travelling the universe but you have to trust your guide and the trust between Clara and the Doctor had certainly been damaged, "You must hate me Clara", the Doctor added with a hoarse whisper.

"Doctor I don't hate you", Clara groaned and took her place at the Time Lady's side, "I think you're a massive idiot but I don't hate you", that drew a snort of laughter from the Time Lady.

"So you're not leaving", the Doctor asked in hope.

For a brief moment Clara hesitated and the Time Lady's face fell again. Truthfully Clara didn't have a satisfactory answer right now. The Doctor's actions, unintentional by the sounds of it, had stung her badly. Just an hour ago she fully expected to never see the Time Lady again now she was asking her to stay, "Doctor you hurt me, badly", Clara sighed, "but I don't want to give up on my best friend". She paused and looked down at the metal bracelet on her wrist, "And it looks like we're stuck with each other, at least for now".

The Doctor nodded slowly, "How about this, one more journey", she suggested, "you can make your mind up once we've sorted out Jenny's mess".

"Try not to be too hard on her Doctor", the teacher said firmly, "we all make mistakes. We wouldn't be having this conversation if you hadn't made one", the Time Lady winced but she knew that Clara was one hundred percent correct, "But your idea has some merit", Clara quickly added, "one last hurrah?"

"One last hurrah", the mood in the TARDIS suddenly lifted as the Doctor broke into a board grin, "if we're going out, lets go out with a bang". She too remembered the explosive device strapped to her wrist and rubbed it unconsciously, "Sorry, poor choice of words".

"Getting used to that Doctor", Clara commented dryly, "so tell me more about Macadia, is it an important part of the future".

Grateful that Clara had shaken off her faux par, the Time Lady approached the viewing screen, "Not really if I'm honest", she began, "Macadia is one of many human colonies at this point in time. It's primarily an industrial country, similar in many ways to Britain", she turned around and pointed at Clara, "In fact the original expedition team came from your neck of the woods, although twenty seventh century Lancashire is vastly different from what you would remember, mostly thanks to global warming and tectonic shifts".

"Well anything to liven the place up", Clara shrugged, happy to see the Doctor back in full 'tour guide' mode, "so if Macadia isn't significant, why is this so important. Surely you've changed history before without giving it a second thought".

The Doctor paused for a moment to think of a suitable answer. She occupied those few seconds by punching a few inputs into the TARDIS console, "I've never replaced one tin pot dictator with another one though", she replied, "Macadia and Da Costa might not change the universe but he is the rightful President of the planet. I can't let an injustice like this go unchanged".

"Plus time line divergences like this one give us a massive headache", Jenny added as she re-entered the console room. "When a new time line like this one fractures off from the accepted path, it sends shockwaves through the vortex which feel", Jenny unconsciously scratched her shoulder, "really uncomfortable".

"So this is just therapy to you two?" Clara snorted.

"No, it's about doing the right thing", Jenny spoke before her mother had a chance, "I created this situation so it's up to me to fix it".

"Up to us Jenny", the Doctor placed a soothing hand on her daughter's shoulder, "and I'm sorry if I've given you a hard time about this. I've made mistakes in the past too so I shouldn't be so quick to criticize yours".

The red hair gave the Doctor and Clara a curious look, they certainly appeared calmer than earlier. There was still a hint of discomfort but nothing like earlier, "I see you two have made up", she commented, "does that mean Clara's staying?"

"Let's get this out the way first", Clara said quickly, "I can't think clearly when I've got an explosive device attached to my body", she shook the metal bracelet in front of her, "seriously is there nothing we can do about these?"

"Already working on it", the older Time Lady inspected her own bracelet a little closer, "give me a few minutes and I'll come up with something". She turned her attention to Jenny, "Any thoughts about how to pull this ridiculous heist off?"

"A few", Jenny pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket, "these are a few names of resistance members that I remembered". She handed the piece of paper over to her mother, "About half of them are Espanoza's men and most of the others are in prison on some jumped up charges".

"Getting the opposition out the way", Clara guessed. She inspected the names a little closer, all but two had a red line through them, "What about these two", she commented, "you haven't scribbled them out".

"They're the only two I would trust with something like this", Jenny began, "according to reports Elliott McKenzie is a jack of all trades but excels as a grifter. His talent saw the resistance gain access to many prominent locations prior to the revolution. He managed to escape Espanoza's purges and went into hiding in neighbouring Panteros". She pointed at the other name on the list, "Daniil Kasterov disappeared from Macadia after the revolution and most people think that the new President got hold of him".

The Doctor looked up at her daughter, "But you think otherwise?"

"I do because I know where to look", Jenny smiled, "Daniil is a master hacker and has many online aliases, a couple of which have been tracked down to Panteros".

"You think that he escaped with this Elliott person?" Clara asked.

Jenny shrugged and let out an exasperated sigh, "Who knows but it's a lead, that's something we didn't have before". She looked pointedly at her mother, "You said I had the lead with this one?" the Doctor nodded in confirmation, "Then I have one rule, we trust each other explicitly".

"We do trust each other", Clara commented in return.

"I know we do but not always with every piece of information", Jenny's gaze fell firmly on her mother, "so no running off to work on your own plan. We come up with a solid plan from the very beginning and stick to it".

"Military tactics", the Doctor snorted, "how boring". She received a firm jab in the ribs from Clara which reminded her about their earlier conversation, "I mean how different", she added quickly, "where do we begin".

Jenny shrugged off the Doctor's attitude with a shake of the head and approached the navigational controls of the TARDIS, "Firstly we need to track down Elliott and Daniil", she paused as a small smile appeared on her face, "if I know Elliott then there's only one place in Panteros he would visit regularly". With the co-ordinates set she waited for her mother to put them fully into flight but the Doctor stood back and nodded briefly at the controls to indicate that Jenny was in control for this flight. Another grin appeared on Jenny's face, this one of excitement as she released the handbrake. The TARDIS groaned into life, transporting them to the country of Panteros to track down Jenny's old friends.


	14. 8: Assembling The Crew

_Chapter 4 – Assembling The Crew_

It was night time in the country of Panteros and the neon lights of the capital city illuminated the dark sky. Despite the late hour the streets were still full of people, most of whom were looking for a good time. The Doctor pulled her jacket a little tighter against her body, just looking at the near nakedness of the resident Panterans made her feel a little uncomfortable. The red light district was just a block away and she mentally prayed that her daughter wasn't leading them in that direction. The older Time Lady wasn't a prudish person but this city was a far removed from her upbringing on Gallifrey as she could imagine. If the High Council could see her now, they would probably die of shock.

Fortunately for the Doctor, Jenny stopped in front of a building that proclaimed itself to be a bar. For all intents and purposes, it was a giant metal box standing on the corner of a street. There were no windows and just one door, which was guarded by a rather large man. "Are you sure this is a bar?" the older Time Lady groaned, "what kind of person would frequent a place like this?"

"I dunno, I've seen worse", Clara shrugged just a couple walked out the door, filling the streets with some very loud electronic music. The couple disappeared down the street acting more than a little friendly towards each other, "You should see Blackpool on a Friday night, you'll see things so disturbing that you would regenerate", she added.

"Trust me if Elliott's anywhere, it'll be here", Jenny looked up at the garish sign over the door, "this is right up his street". With a resigned sigh the Doctor reached into her pocket to try and find her psychic paper, "We won't need that", Jenny held up her hand, "I've got a quicker way to get his attention".

The Doctor and Clara looked nervously at each other as the red head approached the bouncer on the door. They stayed a couple of paces behind Jenny, just in case things turned ugly, "I'm here to see Elliott", the young Time Lady said confidently.

The security officer looked down at the woman, who was easily a foot smaller than him and snorted, "No one here by that name", he grunted, "unless you and your friends are here to dance", he added with a leer towards the Doctor, making her feel even more uncomfortable than she already was.

"Not today", Jenny replied, resisting the urge to punch the man, "unless you've organised a toga party".

Suddenly the man stiffened and began to glance around nervously. He grabbed the door handle and pulled it towards him, "Go all the way to the back, second door on the left". With a small nod Jenny stepped inside and beckoned her mother and Clara to follow.

The main bar stood in the very centre of the room and it was surrounded by a throng of people, both human and alien. It was almost too dark to see, the only light came from some spotlights which shone down on to several caged podiums where scantily clad men and women danced for the customer's enjoyment. The Doctor picked her way through as quickly as possible, avoiding eye contact with everyone where possible. Clara though made sure she got a good look at the man dancing in the central podium. Her eyes flicked towards his rock hard abs and pecs on more than one occasion. Even Jenny stopped to admire the view, prompting the dancer to offer them a place on his podium, "Honestly you two", the Doctor interrupted their ogling, "we've got more important things to do than admire this lovely gentleman's rippling muscles".

"So you have looked then", Clara chuckled before the older Time Lady grabbed the pair by the wrist and dragged them towards the back room. The teacher had to admit, if it wasn't for the explosive bracelet, this would probably be the best place she had visited so far.

Once they reached the back room, Jenny knocked loudly on the door. After a few moments she led the group inside, only to find that the room was empty. The only item in the room was a single light which swayed gentle from the vibrations caused by the music, "This isn't what I was expecting", the Doctor commented, "something doesn't feel right".

"Elliott's a wanted man in Macadia", Jenny reminded her mother, "the borders only a few miles away, wouldn't take much for a bounty hunter to hop over and claim their reward". She worked her way around the room, trying to see if there was another exit but to no avail. The only way in or out was through the door immediately behind them.

Several minutes passed without anyone else coming to join them, adding to the unease in the room. All of them were pacing nervously, trying to find ways to pass the time, "Why did you mention a toga party at the door?" Clara asked, only to while away a few more seconds.

"It's a code phrase that the Resistance used", Jenny answered, "there were several phrases used to alert the members to an impending meeting". She rolled her eyes at a previously forgotten memory, "The toga party was one of Elliott's favourites". Moments later the door flew open as a stocky man with closely cropped dark hair and dark skin burst in. Close behind him was a tall, pale man with spiky blonde hair and a brightly coloured shirt. A pair of orange tinted sunglasses were perched on top of his head, "Elliott, Daniil, you're actually here", Jenny exclaimed and moved to close the gap between them.

The dark skinned man quickly reached into his jacket and pulled out a blaster, "Stop right there, whoever the hell you are".

Jenny quickly slapped her head, "Of course you wouldn't recognise me Elliott", she groaned, forgetting that she had regenerated since their last meeting. She wondered how the Doctor managed, she had a dozen regeneration under her belt. That would be a conversation for later though, "Guys it's Jenny", she added, "You won't recognise me because, well I've changed since the last time you saw me".

"No kidding", the blonde. Daniil, snorted.

"I knew the code phrase though", Jenny protested, "and I know that Daniil likes his Black Bison energy drink", the blonde haired man nodded in agreement, "and you Elliott", she turned towards the larger man, "you like musicals, although you'd never admit that to anyone". Daniil sniggered with laughter as Elliott began to look a little uncomfortable. He tried to remain stoic, he didn't want to admit that this strange red haired woman had gotten that piece of information correct. "This bar is very you Elliott, loud music, flexible dancers-".

"Very flexible, I'm a little jealous", Clara interrupted.

Jenny groaned at the human and stepped as close as she dared to the blaster wielding man, "Elliott it's me, can't you tell", she looked him straight in the eyes. The Doctor always said that people could tell who she was by looking in her eyes. That could have something to do with the age behind the eyes, they were a dead giveaway to the Time Lady's true age. Jenny didn't have that luxury though, she was only a few years older than the last time she met the pair.

Elliott had to admit there was something very familiar about the mannerisms of this woman. There weren't too many people that knew about his secret love of musicals either. But he hadn't stayed clear of Espanoza's forces by chance, he had to suspect everyone, "I'd like to believe you", he began, "because we could use someone like Jenny right now". His hand clenched tighter around the grip on his blaster, "Plus the real Jenny would've-", he didn't get a chance to finish his sentence though. In the blink of an eye, Jenny had knocked the blaster out of his hand and wrapped her arm around his throat.

"Jenny put him down", the Doctor sighed, "and stop using your ninja skills on unsuspecting people, no one likes a show off".

Reluctantly Jenny loosened her grip on Elliott, "Sorry Mother", he replied sarcastically, "but it was the only way to get these two to believe me". She turned her attention back to the Macadians, "You do believe me know, right?" she asked hopefully.

"A little", Elliott rubbed his throat, "there's no one else I know that could move like that". He took a couple of seconds to appraise the woman in front of him. She was a few inches taller than the Jenny he knew and the flame red hair was certainly different, not as different as the face though, "How did you do it Jenny", he asked, "surgery, holographic projection?"

The Doctor took a few steps closer to her daughter, "You didn't tell them?"

"Never really came up", the red head shrugged, "didn't really know what to tell them anyway".

Suddenly Daniil clicked his fingers, "Don't tell me your a shapeshifter, or some kind of droid who's now had a complete chassis refit".

"Daniil you need to lay off the films", Jenny chuckled at the boisterous man, "but you're not that far out". She took a deep breath and continued, "I'm not human, I'm a Time Lord", she shrugged, "well Time Lady if you want to get technical about it. When our race suffers a fatal injury, we regenerate our bodies into something new", she waived her hands over her body, "just like this".

There was a stunned silence from the Macadian's as they took on board the news that their friend wasn't human. "So you're an alien?" Daniil asked and Jenny nodded, "this is the amazing, I've got so many questions".

"Perhaps they can wait until later", the Doctor interrupted his outburst, "right now we could use your help".

"Hang on I'm not done geeking out about this", Daniil practically hopped up and down on the spot, "Jenny called you Mother so does that mean you're one of these Time thingys as well?" The Doctor groaned but nodded in confirmation, "So you've done this regeneration thing too?"

"Once or twice", the Doctor replied, "thing is about regeneration is that whilst the core person underneath is the same, the outer personality changes. For example past regenerations of mine we're incredibly patient", she smiled sweetly at Daniil, "but I'm not", she added with a stern expression, "so I would like to move this along".

"Doctor, can you try not to upset everyone we meet", Clara rubbed her temples, "you're not helping my banging headache".

The Doctor waived off her companions protests, "Sorry I tend to get a little testy when there's a bomb strapped to my wrist", the Macadian's jerked away, "don't worry it won't go off. Not until your old friend General Jackson decides he's had enough of us".

"Jackson", Elliott spat, "can't believe there was someone worse than him waiting to take over our country", he added bitterly. "So old Jackie tracked you down then, that's something we never managed to do", he sighed and looked over at Jenny, "after the revolution you just disappeared".

"They'll be plenty of time to discuss that", Jenny replied, "I came here to ask for your help". She rubbed her hands together nervously, "We need to pull off a heist on the Presidential Palace in Macadia". Daniil and Elliott looked at each other before bursting out laughing, "I'm not joking", Jenny hissed, "Jackson wants something from his old vault, otherwise the three of us go boom".

"We didn't mean to laugh Jenny", Daniil stated, "but do you realise how heavily guarded the Palace is? It would take something special just to get inside the gates of that place".

The Doctor moved to step forwards but a sharp shake of Jenny's head stopped the dark haired woman in her tracks. "I've got an idea, tomorrow Espanoza is holding a party to celebrate his birthday. I've been able to secure invites to the party which will allow us full access to the Palace".

"How did you get invites to the most exclusive party on the planet?" Elliott asked curiously.

Jenny wanted to tell the truth, that she had used the TARDIS to travel six weeks into the past and plant the idea in Espanoza's head that he should hold a lavish party. It probably broke several temporal rules but this was literally a life of death situation, "I have my ways", she replied, "so are you in or out?"

Elliott shook his head, "You're forgetting that I'm a wanted man in Macadia".

"Let me worry about that", the Doctor added, "you have my word that you won't be recognised".

"I say we do it", Daniil stated, "any excuse to stick one to Espanoza". He held his hand out in front of him, allowing Jenny to place hers on top. Clara quickly followed suit and with a roll of her eyes, so did the Doctor.

After a few agonising moments Elliott copied the gesture, although a little more reluctantly than his friend. He did smile warmly at Jenny and the Time Lady returned the grin, "Excellent, now that the team's altogether, let's go steal us a diamond".


	15. 8: The Plan

_Chapter 5 –The Plan  
_

The group left the back room and pushed their way towards the front of the bar. They would've made quicker progress if it wasn't for everyone stopping Elliott on the way. The Macadian native seemed to know almost the entire population of the bar. He gave a warm handshake to the male patrons and a flirtatious grin to the ladies. The Doctor groaned in an attempt to speed the convoy along but she could barely be heard over the sound of the music, "Do I want to know why you're so popular in this establishment", she practically shouted in the man's ear.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Elliott replied, "this is my bar after all".

"Wait a second, you own this place?" Jenny asked, "I never pictured you as a legitimate businessman Elliott".

"Well I never pictured you as a red head Jenny", he smiled in her direction, "change looks good on both of us wouldn't you say". Jenny blushed furiously, her cheeks matching the colour of her hair, "Maybe we should probably catch up after this", Elliott continued, "remember that night in the old Counting House?"

Jenny flashed him with a coy grin, "Perhaps but maybe you should remind me, just to be on the safe side". She turned her head around, whipping her hair in the process. She moved directly in front of the group, exaggerating her steps to give an extra wiggle in her stride.

At the back of the convoy the Doctor looked aghast, much to Clara's amusement, "They grow up so fast", the school teacher laughed at the older Time Lady's expense. "You can't honestly believe that she didn't have a life before meeting you again?" she added.

"No", the Doctor sighed, "but that doesn't mean I have to witness my daughter flirting with someone. You'll understand when you're a parent Clara", the Time Lady added, making sure to keep her gaze firmly away from Jenny.

The group reached the door and emerged into the cool night air. It was a great relief, the bar had been extremely hot and humid. Deciding to take the lead the Doctor manoeuvred them around the corner and into the side alley. Standing halfway down the passageway was the TARDIS, awaiting its next journey. The Time Lady didn't break her stride, choosing to open the door with a snap of her fingers on this occasion, "Elliott, Daniil", she called out, "welcome to the TARDIS".

It took the two Macadian's a few moments to take in the unusual craft. Ever the computer nerd, Daniil immediately rushed towards the console. He was greeted by a firm slap on the hand by the Doctor as he went to touch one of the panels. Elliott wasn't quite as sure about the TARDIS as his friend though. He followed Clara up the gangway, making sure not to look over the sides, "Don't worry, she won't hurt you", Jenny said from behind him, "the ship I mean, not Clara. She might hurt you, don't think she's properly forgive Mum yet".

Elliott chuckled with laughter, "When you told me you were an alien I didn't really believe it but now", he opened his arm up, "inside your box that's bigger on the inside, I think I finally believe you".

"Technically it's Mum's TARDIS she just let's me fly it", Jenny replied, "assuming I've done all my homework that is".

"Homework?" Elliott snorted, "makes it sound like you're still a child".

"We live for a long time", Jenny answered, leaning on the metal railing, "eighty seven is quite young for our species". She pointed her head towards the console, "Mum's got a couple of thousand years on me, so when you look at it like that, I suppose I am a child still".

Things between the pair suddenly became a little more awkward and it wasn't helped by the TARDIS suddenly lurching into flight. Elliott stumbled forward, straight into Jenny's arms. The pair looked at each other before Elliott extracted himself and made his excuses to move away. Jenny finally realised what the Doctor had been talking about when she mentioned the loneliness of regeneration. Elliott was still trying to find the blonde haired woman he had met, not realising that she was standing right in front of him. With a heavy sigh she pushed herself off the railing and strolled up the walkway, "You alright?" Clara asked, "that looked a little uncomfortable between you two".

"I don't think he's got his head around the concept of regeneration yet", Jenny sighed. She tried to meet Elliott's gaze but he was looking in every direction except for at Jenny.

"Even I struggle with it sometimes", Clara patted her alien friend on the shoulder, "he'll come around". A mischievous grin flashed across her face, "So what was he, boyfriend or a lover?"

Jenny glared at Clara before breaking into a grin, it was nice to have someone to talk to about this kind of stuff. Her mother would never broach this subject, they would sit around uncomfortably whilst the older Time Lady tried to ignore raising the topic. "I suppose lover would be the best description", the red head replied, "I helped out the resistance for several months. At first I thought he was a little sleazy but underneath", she sighed, "there's a decent person underneath all that bravado".

"Ooh, sounds juicy", Clara grinned, "I'll have to get the full details from you another time".

"You're sticking around then?" Jenny asked once again. Clara didn't reply but offered a small smile. She was still thinking about her future, she had never wanted to leave in the first place. Teaching at a secondary school in London would never give her the chance to pull off a diamond heist. Travelling with the Doctor was like living out her childhood dreams, maybe she wasn't ready to give that up just yet.

"Right now we've put that filthy little hovel behind us, shall we retire to the planning room", the Doctor suggested and moved towards the main section of the TARDIS.

"Filthy hovel", Elliott snorted, "that's my bar she's talking about".

Clara slapped him hard on the shoulder, "Don't worry about it, the Doctor's rude like that to everyone and everything".

Grumbling under his breath, Elliott and the others worked their way through the corridors until they found the Doctor. She led them into a small room with a large table sitting in the middle. She beckoned the group to talk a seat, "I understand that my daughter has come up with a plan", the older Time Lady began, "and I'm very intrigued to hear it".

Jenny nodded nervously and pushed a button on the side of the table. Almost immediately a holographic image of the Presidential Palace appeared, "Thanks to the invites, we will be able to bypass the outer level of security. That's a good thing because the outer defences look extremely difficult to breach". She slid three plastic cards to the Doctor, Clara and Elliott whilst keeping the last one for herself, "The invites act like keycards, granting us access to different areas of the Palace. The guests have different access levels, depending on their relationship with Espanoza".

"Two questions", Danill raised his hand, "what level clearance do these invites have and secondly, where the hell is my invite?"

"Sorry I could only get four", Jenny answered sheepishly, "but you get to stay here use your tech skills to help us through the Palace".

"He's staying in the TARDIS", the Doctor snorted, ignoring the board grin on the blonde's face, "unsupervised? I don't think so".

The younger Time Lady shook her head, "Well he can hardly sit in the gardens or really go anywhere else in Macadia", she answered. "Plus you can deadlock the flight controls and anything non essential". The Doctor pouted, unhappy that Jenny had volunteered her ship for this purpose, "You did put me in charge Mother", Jenny continued, picking up on some telepathic thoughts to remind the Doctor who was in charge of this heist. Jenny then turned back to Daniil, "To answer your other question our invites are basic level. I didn't want to draw too much attention to ourselves by getting anything fancier".

"Alright my turn for a question", Elliott interjected, "how are you going to get me past the door? Like I said earlier I am one of the most wanted men in the country".

"Yet you don't like to boast about it", the Doctor grumbled under her breath. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a long silver necklace. Attached to the necklace was a golden medallion roughly a few inches in diameter, "This is a personal holographic projector", the raven haired woman continued, "this will project the perfect disguise onto your own body. I would like to caution you that the illusion will only provide visual protection so try and avoid touching anything or", she looking him straight in the eye, "anyone".

The older Time Lady slid the chain across the table and Elliott rolled it over in his hands, "Duly noted Doc", he said.

"Please don't call me Doc", the Doctor shook her head, "only people I like get that honour, even then it's begrudgingly".

"Anyway", Clara interjected herself into the impending argument, "once we're inside what then?"

Jenny gave Clara a grateful smile and moved the projection inside the Palace, "We'll split into two teams", she began, "team one will greet Espanoza and get hold of his invite". She sensed the confused stares from the others, "Yes even though it's his party and his Palace, he still needs an invite like everyone else".

"Security protocols on the Palace", Daniil answered, "the place in always in lockdown unless you gain access to the sector using a keycard". He shrugged his shoulders slightly, "It's a relic of Jackson's days, he didn't trust anyone and assumed that someone was going to betray him eventually".

"And how right he was", Jenny smiled, remembering that someone on Jackson's staff ultimately did betray him. Shame it turned out to be Espanoza himself who acted as a double agent for the Resistance, only to seize power for himself. "Back to the plan, once team one has the invite they will proceed to the vault control room to disable the alarms on the inner vault. This will only be possible if team two has disabled the alarms on the control room". She waited for the simulation on the holograph to play out, "Like Daniil said, Jackson was incredibly paranoid".

"Alright so with all those alarms off we just need to access the vault", Clara studied the map but couldn't see an obvious vault, "where is it?" she asked.

Jenny pointed at a small circular pattern on the floor of the alarm room, "Down there, to get into the high security vault, team two will have to abseil into the room. The vault is around 50 feet underground and is protected by high powered lasers which will slice anything they come into contact with. That's why team one's role is vitally important", she added with an air of foreboding.

"Ooh me Miss", the Doctor eagerly raised her hand into the air, "what are the teams?"

"Good question Doctor", Jenny replied playfully, "since Elliott and I have the most experience abseiling I've assigned us as team two which means that you and Clara are team one". She held up her invite which read 'Jennifer Smith plus One', "I've teamed up your invites with the other person on your team".

"Hang on", Clara objected when she read her invite, "Doctor Susan Campbell plus One", she snorted, "I'm not going to be the Doctor's date to this party".

"Oh be a sport Clara", the Doctor fluttered her eyelashes, "but I don't kiss on a first date so keep your hands to yourself". Clara didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the Doctor's comment so chose to remain stoically silent instead.

"It's only for an hour or so", Jenny pinched the bridge of her nose, "I wasn't going to team Mum and Elliott up because I knew she wouldn't like him", the Doctor shrugged in agreement with that statement, "and even pretending to be my mother's date is creepy on so many levels so I'm sorry Clara, you drew the short straw", that comment drew a cry of indignation from the Time Lady in question, "alright so that's the plan, any questions?" There was a long silence, not an awkward one but a silence that showed the quiet determination of the group. Jenny drew the meeting to a close, they would only have a few hours to prepare themselves before they entered the Palace for real.


	16. 8: Hail To The Chief

_Chapter 6 - Hail To The Chief  
_

Security was tight around the Presidential Palace, which was located in the centre of Macadia. The building lived up its name, easily spanning several hundred metres. The white brick building seemed to dazzle underneath the moonlit sky. The Macadian military had a strong presence in the area with several checkpoints in place before the guests could even get inside the grounds. Even then the security presence extended to hundreds of armed guards roaming the grounds in an attempt to keep any unwanted visitors away.

Just out of sight of the initial checkpoint the TARDIS materialised into view, whipping up dust and dirt as it faded into existence. Moments later the door opened and Jenny stumbled into the street. She shimmied her dress a little further down her legs so it stopped around mid calf before giving her shoes a filthy look, "How do people walk in these things?" she groaned, pointing at her heels, "if people were meant to walk like this, our legs would've evolved this way".

"Come on Jenny", the Doctor's soothing voice called out from her ship, "you could hardly turn up to a party dressed in jeans and converse trainers". The older Time Lady stepped out the ship a little more gracefully than her daughter. She was wearing a light pink strapless dress that stopped just around her knees and in her hand was a golden coloured clutch purse.

"I reckon the skinny Doctor did", Clara chuckled and pushed herself past the Time Lady. Like Jenny she had gone for a black dress but this was more in the style of a 1920's flapper girl, "what do you think, a little too vintage for this century?" she asked, giving a twirl in the process.

"Nothing is too vintage if you wear it well", the Doctor said absentmindedly. She was too busy hitching the top of her dress up, "I feel so exposed like this", she grumbled, "at least when I was a man my choice of clothing was easy. Honestly I have learned so much new terminology in the last few hours, until now I thought an A Line was a subway system". She smoothed out the creases in her dress, "Are you sure this looks alright", she added a little self-consciously.

As she finished speaking Elliott emerged dressed in a classic black tuxedo. He was wearing his holographic projector which gave him the appearance of a slightly overweight man with spiky brown hair, "I said that you look amazing", he smiled, "all three of you two". His gaze though was firmly on Jenny, drawing a sharp cough from the Doctor, "At least you get to come as yourself, seriously Doctor was this the best image you could come up with?"

"If you're unhappy I could send you into the Palace without the projector", the Time Lady said with a shrug. Elliott gave a small grumble but opted to remain silent, "These will allow us to hear each other and Daniil in the TARDIS", she opened her purse and offered the others a small silver disk that fitted on the tip of their fingers.

Clara looked suspiciously at the device before placing it into her ear, "Ouch", she cried when she felt a sharp stinging sensation down one side of her neck, "what the hell was that?"

"Oh that'll be the communicator attaching itself to your central nervous system", the Doctor replied as she implanted her own device, "don't worry it's perfectly safe and as an added bonus, if you get bored you can also listen to the local radio stations". Clara and Elliott didn't look impressed with the older Time Lady, "Just trust me on this, these communicators will not fail", she straightened her neck and whispered quietly, "Comms check, Daniil can you hear me?"

" _Loud and clear Doctor"_ , the blonde replied but the sound was so loud that it generated feedback through the earpieces, _"sorry I'll remember not to speak so loudly next time"._

Jenny rubbed her ear in an attempt to stop the ringing, "Yeah thanks", she sighed, "we'd better head inside, I'll need some time to get into position". She waived her own clutch bag before taking a couple of nervous steps on her heels. She stumbled but fortunately Elliott was able to stop her from falling by placing a strong arm around her waist. The pair elected to walk arm in arm towards the Palace to prevent Jenny from making a fool of herself.

Clara watched with a smile as an unsteady Jenny tottered down the road, "They're not even that high". She glanced over and noticed an angry look on the Doctor's face, "Don't look so grumpy, you'll ruin your make up". The joke didn't go down very well and the older Time Lady though, "She's perfectly capable of making her own decisions Doctor", Clara added firmly, "you can't keep her locked away forever".

After a few moments the Doctor's face softened slightly, "I know", she sighed, "but that doesn't mean I have to like it". Once again she adjusted the top of her dress, "When you become a parent you'll understand and seriously whoever invented strapless dresses needs to become a better acquainted with the laws of physics".

"You're such an old woman Doctor", Clara held out her arm, "which I suppose makes me the man in this fake date thing".

The older Time Lady offered another grumble, "Does this mean I'm forgiven yet?"

"Oh this punishment is for making go on a date with you", Clara replied evilly, "I haven't begun to think up your punishment for kicking me out the TARDIS yet". The Doctor winced slightly, partially because Clara reminded her of that incident but mostly because she was really afraid of the punishment the school teacher was going to come up with.

The first checkpoint was just a few hundred metres away and the pair approaching the waiting soldier as confidently as they could. The Doctor flashed the invitation and the guard scanned it with a handheld device to check that it was legitimate. Several agonising seconds passed until the soldier gruffly thrust the invite back and let them through.

The Doctor and Clara couldn't relax though, the next check point was just a few metres away. They were quickly ushered towards a female soldier whose face seemed to be set into a rather stern expression. The pair was rather roughly patted down as the soldier checked for any weapons. The Doctor's bag was then thoroughly searched, although on the surface all that was inside was a small mirror, a few bank notes, a couple of lipsticks and a yellow yo-yo. Confused, the soldier held the yo-yo up to the pair, "That's for later", Clara smirked, "my date knows some really crazy tricks, if you get what I mean", she added with a seductive wink. The guard suddenly came over all flustered, jammed the contents back into the bag and thrust it back into the Doctor's hands.

As the duo walked away, the older Time Lady glanced over at her companion, "You didn't have to embarrass the poor girl".

"You said we were on a date", Clara shrugged, "this is me when I'm on a date".

The Doctor shuddered slightly and shook her head, "How Danny puts up with you, I have absolutely no idea". There was a small hint of mirth in her voice and even Clara saw the humour in the Doctor's comment.

Finally the pair ascended the marble stairs and walked through the Palace doors. There were absolutely stunned by the opulence and wealth on display. A lavish banquet was laid out against one wall whilst a string quartet played a soothing tune. Ice sculptures were dotted in the four corners off the room and they weren't the only things on display. The pair gravitated towards the marble pedestals that stood underneath the Macadian flag. Behind a thick glass screen were the largest collection of precious gems that either of them had ever seen, "Look at this", Clara gasped, "emeralds, rubies, sapphires", she listed off just some of the gems, "there must be millions of pounds sitting right there".

"More like billions", the Doctor was gently seething under the surface and it was taking all of her self control to keep her temper under control, "selling just a few of these would solve the poverty crisis in this country". Clara looked over at the Doctor and noticed her fists were clenched, "People out there are starving whilst this lot sits here, getting gawped at by a bunch of snobby pudding brains". Clara slowly shuffled towards the Time Lady and gently grasped her wrist. Almost instantly she could feel the tension leave the Doctor, "I'm sorry Clara but the inequality of the situation really frustrates me".

"Just remember our part Doctor", Clara whispered, "if all goes well then things will improve for the general population soon enough".

The Doctor gave her a warm smile but their moment was soon spoilt but a voice from behind, "I see you're admiring my personal jewel collection". The pair turned around and they instantly recognised the man from his picture. Dressed in a white military style uniform was the President of Macadia, Armando Espanoza, "Although I must say that the beauty of the jewels is nothing compared to the two beautiful jewels standing in front of me".

Out the corner of her eye, Clara could notice that the Doctor had tensed up again and wouldn't be much use for the next few second. Their plan would fall at the first hurdle if they didn't complete their part, "President Espanoza", Clara bowed deeply, "it's an honour to be in your presence". Clara felt physically sick just speaking to this man but she reminded herself of their mission to keep her mind focused.

Espanoza gently bowed in response, obviously happy that Clara had massaged his ego, "Please there is no need to be so formal my dear", he replied smoothly. He grasped Clara's hand and gently kissed her knuckles, "I hope that you're enjoying my little gathering".

"Oh very much", Clara said with a board smile, "I was just telling my partner that we were happy just to be invited to the Palace". She fumbled behind her until she felt the Doctor's arm. Clara pulled the Time Lady towards her and the woman stumbled stiffly into her arm, "Isn't that right dear", the teacher hissed out the side of her mouth.

"Yes, delighted", the Doctor added in a tone that suggested she was anything but delighted. Espanoza didn't noticed her body language or the tone of voice, he merely heard the words, "You said this was your personal gem collection?" Clara gave the Doctor a warning glare, not quite sure where she was going with this question.

"Well strictly speaking it isn't mine personally", Espanoza chuckled, "more like the fruits of the people's labour across the centuries".

The Doctor snorted softly but was stopped by Clara who dug her fingernail into her arm, "Truly fascinating Mr President, you must tell us more", the teacher added a touch of desperation into her voice.

Just then a dark suited man approached Espanoza and whispered something into his ear. Judging by the build of the man, this was probably one of the Presidential security team. Espanoza nodded at the man's silent words and dismissed him with a wave. "I'm sorry to cut this short but duty calls", once again he took hold of Clara's hand, "we shall continue this conversation another time", he stopped suddenly mid sentence, "I do apologise but I never took your names".

"No need to apologise Mr President", Clara smiled, "I'm Clara Oswald and this is my partner Doctor Susan Campbell", the Doctor attempted a smile too but hers was much more forced that the teachers.

Espanoza tilted his head and gave the couple a half smile. Before Clara could stop him the man had leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek, followed swiftly by one on the other cheek. He then moved onto the Doctor, much to the woman's obvious discomfort, "Clara Oswald and her Doctor partner", he placed a kiss on each of the Doctor's cheeks, "such role models for my vision for Macadia". He bowed deeply at the pair, "Until we meet again ladies", he turned sharply on his heels and walked swiftly across the dance.

Almost the second Espanoza was out of ear shot, the Doctor started to vigorous rub her cheek, "I can't believe that greasy dictator touch me", she gagged.

"That's why you make a terrible wing man and grifting partner", Clara grumbled, "fat lot of help you were. Our job was to distract him to swipe his invitation, now we're going to have to try again".

"Ye of little faith", the Doctor stopped trying to wipe her face and flashed a golden keycard, "the dirty little prevent was so interested in trying to cop a feel that he never even noticed".

Clara's mouth gaped open, "And I thought his invite would be in his wallet", she held out her hand to reveal a black leather wallet stuffed to the brim with notes, "I had Jenny teach me a few pick pocketing techniques before leaving the TARDIS", she added with a guilty smile.

"I know I should be angry", the Doctor sighed before smiling at her companion, "but somehow I can't bring myself to be".

The pair suddenly heard a hiss through their communicators, _"Team one, team two are in position and waiting your signal",_ Daniil's voice called out, _"Are we on?"_

The Doctor and Clara looked at each other before they stuffed the two stolen items into the Time Lady's purse, "Oh yes, this con is most definitely on", the Doctor replied gleefully. Part one had been completed successfully and surprisingly quickly. Now it was over to Jenny and Elliott to do their part.


	17. 8: Discovered

_Chapter 7 – Discovered_

The moment the Doctor's signal came through the comm link, Jenny and Elliott immediately began to look for their exit route. The primary alarm controls were in the basement but that door was guarded by another one of Espanoza's soldiers. If they were going to get to the lower levels, they would need some kind of distraction, "Anything you can do about the grunt on the door Dani", Elliott whispered. He subconsciously rubbed his ear, he was still trying to get used to the special earpieces the Doctor had given them.

" _What do you think I've been working on for the last half an hour?"_ Daniil's light hearted response filtered through the link, _"not all of us have been eating canapés and drinking Endovian champagne you know"._ There was silence through the earpiece but moments later several of the guards within the vicinity of Jenny and Elliott suddenly snapped to attention. The pair warily inched back, concerned that they had been discovered. They didn't need to worry though as about half a dozen soldiers abandoned their posts and disappeared into the kitchens, _"You don't have to say it but thank you but it would be nice",_ Daniil added as the last guard left the room.

"Depends what you've done", Jenny immediately plunged her hand into her bag, retrieving her sonic screwdriver, "last time you created a distraction you set fire to a building". The young Time Lady approached the door and began the process of bypassing the security protocols.

" _That wasn't completely my fault",_ Daniil stated defensively, _"how was I supposed to know there was flammable liquid in that room?"_ Even though Daniil couldn't see her, Jenny still rolled her eyes at the comment, _"I merely triggered the silent smoke detectors in the furthest kitchen, that should keep those jarheads busy for a few minutes"._ Seconds later the lock on the door clicked and Jenny triumphantly pushed it open, " _That's amazing",_ the blonde hacker gushed through the comm link, _"where can I get one of those?"_

Jenny chuckled softly and ushered Elliott through the door, "Not from any major retailers that's for sure". The red head shut the door quietly behind her and took a couple of awkward steps. She still hadn't acclimatised to her footwear, "Now we're away from the party, I don't have to look respectable anymore". With a broad smile, she slipped her heels off and threw them into her bag. There was a brief pause before they hit the bottom of the bag with a loud bag, "Good thing I always come prepared", she added, plunging her arm deep into her bag to retrieve a pair of black Converse.

Elliott gaped at the small bag in Jenny's hand in amazement. It was small enough to grasp in one hand but it was apparently deep enough to accommodate most of her arm, "Really special bag you've got there".

"Time Lord technology", Jenny said simply. She was hopping on one foot whilst trying to slip on her trainers, "Bigger on the inside, how else did you think we were going to sneak the abseiling gear in?" The red head shook her bag and it emitted a very loud rumble, "Dani, we need the quickest route to the security room".

Elliott didn't hear the response, he was too busy marvelling at the woman in front of him. The first time he met Jenny she was different and not just physically. The blonde haired woman was the epitome of a soldier, business like and always with a plan of action. There was a cheeky side as well but it was usually dominated by her inner soldier. The red haired woman who was currently leading him down the corridor was almost the polar opposite. The warrior was still there but it had been replaced by a laid back young woman who seemed to be willing to see the brighter side in life.

One thing he did notice was this Jenny had a slightly fragile outer shell. On the surface she was the picture of knowledge and confidence but when Elliott looked into her eyes, he could almost sense that this outer shell easily broken. It made him wonder what had caused this loss of confidence, "Many things Elliott", Jenny said out loud. The Macadian froze, how did she know what he was thinking? "Sorry, still haven't gotten full control over my telepathy and you were broadcasting pretty loudly then".

"Telepathy", Elliott replied hesitantly, "that's new". Jenny briefly glanced over her shoulder but offered nothing further in the way of a response. They stopped at an intersection before the young Time Lady led them down the left hand path. The pair was deep into the service corridors now, all the ornately decorated walls had been replaced by a more functional bare brick design. "If there's anything you want to talk about Jenny, I'm always willing to listen", he added.

Jenny remained silent and the pair continued walking deeper into the heart of the Palace. After about a minute the red head finally spoke up, "When I regenerated, my full Time Lady heritage was unlocked. That meant I could use telepathy, see people's timelines and feel almost every possible outcome to any situation". She paused and sighed, "When I was the blonde soldier I knew exactly who I was, just a girl trying to help out where I could".

"But now you're not so sure", Elliott finished her sentence.

"Exactly", Jenny stated, "my people are trapped in a pocket dimension, suspended in a moment of time to protect them from the greatest mass murderers in history but yet I've never visited my ancestral home". The red head went silent as memories of hovering above Gallifrey during the last day of the Time War flashed across her vision. Despite the destruction the Daleks were raining down on the planet, Jenny felt like she was home. In the few brief moments before her mother erected some mental shields, she could feel the other Time Lords in her mind. It was a humbling and life changing experience, "Only Mum and I are free so it's up to us to protect the universe", her stride slowed from a quick march to a steady amble, "sometimes that burden can be too much to bear but you have to carry on because there is no one else".

Suddenly Elliott felt very small. His vision was limited to the civil war and revolution in his home country but Jenny and the Doctor had to consider the wider universe. He couldn't even begin to comprehend that, let alone imagine what it felt like, "This timeline isn't meant to exist", Jenny blurted out, bringing Elliott's attention back to the present. "Jackson was meant to be overthrown but Espanoza wasn't meant to gain power, Da Costa was". Jenny swallowed deeply, "An outside force interfered and messed up the country's future".

It took Elliott a few moments to reply the fateful charge into the Palace to secure Jackson and claim the seat of government in his mind. He remembered escorting Da Costa through the building, only to find Espanoza had beaten them to the prize. Then he remembered who was standing just behind the man, "You?" he whispered quietly.

Jenny nodded slowly, "I had no idea that Espanoza was bad news but I had this weird feeling about him from the moment I escorted him into the Palace. I think he knew that I was his best bet to claim power for himself and deliberated asked me to be his guard". She scratched the back of her head nervously, "If I had just stayed away then the revolution would've still been a success and you would've had Da Costa as President". Elliott's eyes widened in realisation, the secret weapon that had literally landed on their doorstep had turned out to be their downfall. He could almost sense the shame rolling off Jenny and she picked up the pace to avoid talking about this anymore.

" _Did you know that would happen when you came?"_ Daniil asked over the comm link.

The young Time Lady cursed, she had forgotten she was on an open mic and Daniil could hear every word. "No", she replied curtly, "but I should've done, my time sense was telling me something was wrong but I didn't know how to interpret it".

" _I don't know much about you aliens but seems to me that you're too hard on yourselves",_ Daniil answered, _"you might have weird face changing abilities and other gifts but you're not infallible"._

Jenny smiled and nodded gratefully, "What about you Elliott?" The man looked at Jenny, his face a blank mask which made the young Time Lady extremely nervous. Before he could reply, Jenny's ears pricked up, "Footsteps, someone's coming", she called out and grabbed Elliott by the hand.

"There is?" Elliott asked in confusion as Jenny dragged him into an alcove, "I can't hear anything".

"Of course you can't, human hearing is terrible, makes me wonder how you ever became the top species on your planet", Jenny snapped. The pair squeezed into the tight space and tried to stay as quiet as possible. It was then that they realised their bodies were pressed tightly against each other, stirring up memories of their last encounter. Despite her different look and outward personality, Elliott finally realised that this was the same person he met three years ago. Their motivation might be different but both versions of Jenny just wanted to make a difference. He found it attractive then and if he was honest, he still found it attractive now.

Their faces inched together as time seemed to slow down. They were almost within touching distance now, and sparks of attraction fizzed between their bodies. Unfortunately the moment was ruined when the footsteps Jenny heard suddenly became a lot louder. They hoped that whoever was coming would come from behind so they wouldn't see them pressed into the alcove. They were out of luck though as two armed soldiers approached from directly in front of them, "Hi", Elliott began, "would you believe that we're lost?"The two guards stared at each other before clicking the safeties off their weapons. Elliott burst out and punched the one nearest him on the nose, breaking it instantly, "I'll take that as a no".

Jenny leapt out the alcove and kicked the weapon out the guard's hand. Without his blaster the soldiers looked helpless and the red head took advantage with a swift kick to the stomach. The two guards staggered towards each other and Elliott delivered the finishing blow by smashing their heads together. _"This is not good",_ Daniil said through the comms, " _I've got a lot of soldier activity in the building, I think we've been rumbled"._

Not wanting to be found in the corridor with two unconscious guards, Jenny and Elliott took off in the direction of the security room with a brisk run, "Anything you can do Dani?" Elliott asked urgently.

" _Trying to but these grunts are smarter than we gave them credit for",_ the hacker answered.

Leaving Daniil in peace to work on a solution, Jenny and Elliott reached their target in record time. The room was series of computer banks set out in a circular pattern. In the centre of the circle was a steel hatch which led down into the lower vault. The Time Lady sealed the door shut with her sonic screwdriver and moved towards the nearest computer bank. She pulled out a long white cable from her bag, closely followed by a small portable hard drive, "Daniil wrote a virus which will override the security for the inner vault control room", she said, "all we have to do now is wait for Mum and Clara to shut down the vault security".

"How did they know we were here?" Elliott threw his hands into the air, "We've been as quiet as possible and our covers are almost impeccable". Jenny was busy rummaging through her bag, her arms were buried in the black clutch up to her arm pits, "Something about this really stinks", Elliott added.

"I know but it's too late to go back now", Jenny growled. She was struggling with something buried deep in her small bag.

"I know, we have to finish this job", Elliott sighed just as Jenny yanked their abseiling gear out of her bag. They had to place their faith in Daniil to keep the guards busy and hope that the Doctor and Clara were having an easier time accessing the vault control room. If the older Time Lady and the school teacher didn't do that, then they were trapped in a small room with the entire Macadian Army bearing down on them. Right now, hope was all they had.


	18. 8: Question of Trust

_Chapter 8 – Question of Trust  
_

Across the other side of the Palace, the Doctor and Clara were making their ways towards the vault control room. Bad luck dictated that the room was on the third and top floor of the Palace, almost as far away from their starting position as possible. So far Daniil had been to get them onto the first floor unnoticed but something told the pair that their luck would run out soon. _"Nice rooms",_ Daniil commented through the comm link, _"wish I could afford a gold plated four poster bed"._

"Let's try and stay focused Mr Kasterov", the Time Lady chided in response, "just because we've gotten this far successfully doesn't mean that we can relax".

" _Spoilsport",_ the Macadian snorted in response, _"looks like Jenny and Elliott need some assistance, will you be alright without my help?"_

"I'm sure we can manage", the Doctor stated, "tell my daughter to stay out of trouble". There was no response from their man in the TARDIS so the pair continued to move as silently as they could through the floor. Normally at this point there would be some casual banter between the Time Lady and Clara but things were still a little strained between the pair. It hadn't been that long ago that the Doctor turned up on the teacher's doorstep unannounced after evicting her from the TARDIS. Clara was still mulling over the Time Lady's apology and whether to accept the olive branch offered. With that hanging over their head, things couldn't go back to normal, "Did Daniil say that the staircase was at the end of this corridor?" the Time Lady asked.

"Hmm", Clara was jolted out of her thoughts and back into the room, "I think so", she added, choosing not to elaborate further.

The Time Lady let out a loud sigh, "Is it always going to be this way between us Clara?" she asked, "I've said I was sorry".

"Some things can't be fixed with words Doctor", Clara said vaguely. Just at that moment the pair turned the corner and spotted a couple of guards blocking their exit to the staircase. The teacher quickly pushed them back and prayed that they hadn't been spotted. Their hopes were dashed as a loud call from the men echoed down the corridor, "Quickly, we need to hide", she hissed.

Noticing that one of the bedroom doors was open, the Doctor quickly grabbed Clara's hand and dragged her inside. The room was neutrally decorated and dominated by one of the previously discussed four poster beds. It wasn't a big room, other than the bed there was a built in wardrobe with a glass screen and another door that led to the on suite bathroom. As the Time Lady looked around for a further escape route, Clara listened as the footsteps got closer, "Great, we're trapped in the first place they'll come looking for us, nice plan", she grumbled.

"Better than being exposed in a long corridor", "the Doctor was still looking around for an escape route but the room had no windows, just a viewing screen that projected an image of the outside world, "something tells me that Espanoza's men are the shoot first type of people", she added.

"So now what", Clara placed her hands on her hips, "we just wing it because that always works". The school teacher shook her head before rubbing her forehead in exasperation.

Clara's words reminded the Doctor of their conversation earlier in the evening. The school teacher had accused her of not living their cover identities during their meeting with Espanoza. She was going to show Clara that she could act if needed, however, if she did what she had in mind, Clara would probably hate her even more. With the guard's metres away, the Doctor didn't really have a lot of options.

She quickly ran both hands through her hair to make it look messy before turning to Clara and doing exactly the same to her, "Hey, this took me ages to get right", the brunette protested. If the hair ruffling was a surprise, then Clara was stunned into inaction as the Time Lady pushed her roughly against the wall adjacent to the door. Clara wasn't sure what the Doctor had in mind until she felt the Time Lady's cool body pressed up against hers, "Oh you're kidding me", Clara groaned, suddenly realising what the alien woman had in mind.

The Doctor at least had the good manners to look apologetic at their rather intimate position, "Sorry Clara but we're going to have to take one for the team". Before Clara could object any more, the Time Lady placed her hand behind the teacher head and pressed her lips firmly against Clara. The brunette had to resist the urge to push the Time Lady away and at least make it look like she was enjoying herself.

She didn't have to endure for too long as the door flung open to reveal the two guards. They stood in the doorway and were stunned into silence at the sight of the two women kissing passionately against the wall. The Doctor pulled herself away from Clara, "Oh hey", she said in her sultriest voice, "my aren't the two of you impressive specimens".

The guards flushed with embarrassment before one of them was able to regain his sense, "I'm sorry ladies but you're not supposed to be in here".

"Really", the Doctor sighed, "that's a shame, we were just getting warmed up as well". The Time Lady leaned a little closer and whispered to the pair, "You should see my partner when she gets going, they say the best things come in small packages". Out the corner of her eye the Doctor could see Clara stiffly shaking her head. The glare she was getting from the teacher was almost paralysing, enough to break even the strongest conviction.

There was a brief moment's hesitation from the guards as they briefly considered leaving the pair alone in the room. Unfortunately for them, the guards weren't in the mood for leniency, "This is a restricted area, I'll escorted back to the party", the lead guard replied.

"Oh well, can't blame a couple of girls for trying", the Doctor sighed in defeat as she and Clara were lead out the bedroom. During the march back downstairs, the Time Lady could still feel Clara's piercing glare boring into her back. She briefly closed her eyes and muttered an old Gallifreyian prayer. Something told her that Clara was going to make her pay for this later and she begged for any available deity to grant her some mercy.

Once they were safely down in the main foyer, the guards hovered cautiously near the main staircase. They were making it clear that access to the upper levels wasn't strictly prohibited to the pair. The Doctor smiled sweetly at the guards before taking hold of Clara's hand, "Come along sweetie, we're leaving", she said to the school teacher.

The pair walked down the marble staircase and out into the cool night air. Almost the nanosecond they were out of sight, Clara roughly snatched her hand free from the Doctor's, "Next time you do that I'm going to slap you so hard that you regenerate". She scratched her tongue vigorously, "Please tell me you can erase the last few minutes from my brain".

"I'm not that repulsive, am I?" the Doctor asked, with a small level of hurt in her voice, "I'm sorry, that was the only way I could think to explain our presence in the upper level". Clara stopped scrubbing at her tongue, a little remorseful for actions, "Isn't that what two partners would be expected to do at a fancy party?" she asked.

"I suppose", Clara reluctantly grumbled, "but still, don't do that again". The Doctor nodded in agreement and turned her attention to the roof of the Palace, "We'd better tell Daniil that we're not going to be able to access the upper level".

Just as Clara was about to make the call, the Time Lady stopped her, "Don't be so sure of that Clara, I've got a secret weapon". The school teacher rolled her eyes in response, "It's not that bad but it just needs a little faith", the Doctor flashed Clara with her best pleading look, "please".

"Fine", Clara replied, "but let's make this quick before the guards look a little deeper into the movements inside the Palace". The Doctor grinned broadly and shuffled around towards the side of the Palace as stealthily as she could, "Next time I'm teaming up with Jenny", she muttered out loud. She froze for a moment, when she started thinking about there being a next time with the Doctor? Could she be enjoying this more than she thought?

Shaking those thoughts to one side, Clara chased after the Time Lady as quickly as her heels would allow. She found the Doctor once again looking at the roof, "That should do", she stated and reached into her handbag, "I'm sure I packed it", she muttered before exclaiming loudly. She pulled out something that looked like a harpoon gun, only made out of brass. There was a hook attachment sticking out the front and long spool of rope at the rear end.

"Is that a grappling hook?" Clara asked, "not the first item I would put in my handbag", she added with a shrug.

"Those things you carry around should be called suitcases, not handbags", the Doctor shot back, "you should have the shoulders of an Olympian with the size of your bags". Clara wanted to refute the Time Lady's claim but she couldn't, the alien hadn't been lying about her bags. Suddenly here was a loud hiss as the Doctor fired off her hook. Clara looked up into the night sky and marvelled as the line hooked around a decorative chimney that extended beyond the height of the roof, "If my calculations are correct then that window", she pointed upwards, "should be the vault control room".

It took Clara a few moments to catch up with the Doctor's train of thought, "You can't be serious", she shook her head, "I'm not going up that thing".

"This is a two person operation Clara", the raven haired woman replied, "I need to operate the grappling hook whilst you break the glass to access the room". She held out her sonic screwdriver, "There's no one I trust more to have my back than you Clara Oswald", she continued, "even if you don't trust me, I trust you with more than my life". Stunned by the Time Lady's declaration, Clara felt she didn't have much choice but to say yes. She nodded in agreement and took the sonic device from the alien woman. In response the Doctor gave her a small smile, "Thank you Clara", she said softly, "and I'm sorry but we're going to have to get cosy again".

The Doctor lifted her arms up so Clara could grasp her torso with her right arm. She clung on as tightly as she could and waited for the Time Lady to reel the line in. Nodding to show that she was ready, the Doctor pushed a small button and they shot up into the air. Clara felt her stomach lurch as she briefly defied gravity to fly up towards the roof of the building. The ride came to a sudden stop though which almost jolted Clara loose. She managed to hold on though, mostly out of desperation, "The sonic should be on the right setting", the Doctor began, "just push the button and the glass with shatter".

Clara thought about their need to remain stealthy but dangling several storeys in the air wasn't the time to be starting an argument. She pushed the button on the sonic and as predicted, the glass shattered inwards. The teacher was close enough to the window to wiggle herself down the Doctor's body and into the now open space. She landed on the glass covered floor with a loud crunch and proceeded to help the Time Lady inside.

The moment the Doctor's feet hit the ground she pulled out the keycard she had stolen from Espanoza, "Quickly we haven't got long". They found a small computer terminal next to the door and the Time Lady quickly booted up the device, "Daniil, Jenny, Elliott we've had improvise our entrance to the control room", she said into the comm link, "I suspect the guards will be here any moment so get into the vault now".

The Doctor pushed the card into an open slot and the screen flashed up confirmation that the vault access chute had been opened. As the Time Lady hurried for the exit, Clara looked at the screen with a small smile. Her fingers began to type furiously away on the keyboard, "Clara, we have to go", the Doctor called out from the doorway.

"Just a couple more seconds", the teacher replied.

"No Clara", the Time Lady added solemnly, "I suggest we step out of this room very carefully".

"I would do as she says", Espanoza's voice boomed, "if you surrender now, I will consider showing you mercy". Clara glanced fearfully at the Time Lady as she entered one final command into the computer. They had been rumbled and since Jenny and Elliott were probably entering the vault, there was no way of warning them. All four of them were in very big trouble.


	19. 8: Busted

_Chapter 9 – Busted_

The wait inside the small, computer filled room was agony for Jenny and Elliott. They tried to reach Daniil on the comm link but the young hacker didn't reply. Clearly he was too busy trying to keep the guards off their trail. With nothing to do but wait, Elliott checked their abseiling harnesses whilst Jenny kept a close ear to the corridor outside. They had been waiting for nearly ten minutes now which the young Time Lady assumed meant that the guards weren't looking for them. She didn't want to count her blessings just yet though. The red head couldn't put her finger on it but something still didn't feel right about this heist.

A couple more minutes passed without any incident so Jenny turned her attention away from the door and onto Elliott, who was still checking the ropes and harnesses, "How many times is that now?" the Time Lady chuckled, "two, maybe three times you've inspect those lines".

"Can't be too careful", Elliott replied without looking up from the winch he was checking, "it's at least fifty feet to the sub level. I don't really want to drop down into that hole without making sure I'm safe".

Jenny nodded slowly, this man wasn't the same person she had met a few years ago. The Elliott McKenzie knew was a devil may care kind of character. He would've jumped into that chute without bothering to think of the consequences. He was the joker in the resistance pack, a grifter, counterfeiter and general thorn in the side of the establishment. Some of his rogue side still appeared to be present, running a 'gentlemen's bar' seemed right up his street but something was different. Jenny didn't know who Elliott had become in the original timeline so maybe these changes were always going to happen or maybe her influence on the revolution had changed something about his personality, "If you keep staring I might have to charge you", Elliott joked.

"Sorry", Jenny's attention snapped back to the present, "just have a lot on my mind that's all".

Elliott stopped what he was doing, sat on the floor and faced the Time Lady, "A trouble shared is a trouble halved, at least that's what my mother used to say".

Jenny snorted but offered an appreciative smile, "Thanks for the offer but this isn't something you could understand".

"Hey I'm not an idiot", Elliott began, sounding a little offended, "lay it on me and I'll see what I can do".

Shrugging her shoulders, Jenny looked him directly in the eye and stated, "Alright, I'm struggling with the notion that causality is not a simple matter of cause and effect. Does one person's influence have such a major impact that it changes someone forever?" Jenny shuffled a little closer to Elliott, "You see Elliott everyone thinks time is a straight line and from one perspective it is but sometimes, something interferes with that line, creating many new possibilities that spiral off the original line". By now Elliott had a bemused look on his face, "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yeah", he replied blankly before adding a little more truthfully, "actually no I haven't got a clue. Could you put that into terms I would understand?"

"Not sure if I can dumb something down that much", Jenny said with a wry smile, "this whole new serious side to you Elliott, I'm wondering if the changes I inflicted on the timeline also changed your personality". The Macadian sat up a little straighter at those comments, "I'm just wondering where Elliott the Rogue is, that's all".

"He's still there", Elliott replied, "somewhere under the surface but when you're one of the country's most want men, you tend to take things a little more cautiously". That reply didn't seem to reassure Jenny and her shoulder slumped with defeat, "I'm not sure where I would've ended up if the revolution had succeeded but truthfully I'm happy with the person I am now". Jenny's head perked up slightly and a small smile appeared on her face, "I don't pretend to understand much about timelines and alternate realities or whatever it is you're talking about so I can only live in the present and I'm pretty happy right now".

Jenny didn't visibly breathe a sigh of relief but internally she was extremely relieved. She was almost sure that others wouldn't have shared Elliott's relaxed attitude to something of this magnitude. The bar owner did have one thing right though, he could only live in the present. The Time Lady thought how lucky he was to have that luxury, walking in eternity like herself and the Doctor did came with its drawbacks occasionally.

The quiet moment was ruined though when their comm links burst into life, " _Guys something's gone wrong with the plan",_ Daniil began urgently, _"the Doctor and Clara were spotted in the upper levels and escorted away. The guards have become suspicious and are doing a sweep of the Palace"._

"Must be what all the commotion was earlier", Jenny said to Elliott, "where are Clara and Mum now?" she asked the young hacker through the communicator.

" _Not sure, they went outside so I've lost them on the internal cameras",_ Daniil replied, " _trying to connect to the external cameras but it'll take a few minutes"._

Daniil had barely finished speaking when the Doctor's voice came clearly through the ear piece, _"Daniil, Jenny, Elliott we've had improvise our entrance to the control room. I suspect the guards will be here any moment so get into the vault now"._

The Time Lady and the bar owner gave each other a concerned look, "What does she mean by improvise?"

"Knowing Mum like I do, possibly anything", Jenny didn't waste a moment slipping into her harness and attaching the line, "however I suspect that she probably drew the attention of the guards so we really should get moving". The Time Lady didn't wait for a reply and quickly opened the hatch in the floor with her screwdriver. She took a quick look down the chute and swallowed deeply. There was a small speck of light at the very bottom but that looked a long way away from her current position.

Satisfied that her harness was secured, Jenny snuck a quick look at Elliott who confirmed that he was ready with a stiff nod, "Daniil can you keep everyone away from the vault for as long as you can", she said into her communicator.

" _I'll see what I can do but the security team is locking everything down. You've got minutes to pull this off",_ came the response through the ear piece.

"Well, better get on with it", Elliott said grimly, "ladies first", he gestured towards Jenny and the gaping hole in the floor.

Without taking a second glance, Jenny took one large step towards the hatch before stepping over the edge. The tunnel was extremely narrow, barely enough room for her to manoeuvre. Jenny barely had time to concern herself with this though as she plummeted down several storeys in a matter of seconds. She could feel the air rushing through her hair as she dropped deeper underground and Jenny had to admit that it was an exhilarating feeling.

The bottom of the shaft was quickly coming into sight, forcing Jenny to slow her descent. Using the metal descender she applied as much friction to the rope as she dared. The Time Lady burst into the light and quickly flipped herself onto her back just before she hit the solid metal floor. She breathed a sigh of relief, she had stopped just inches from the floor. Unfortunately Jenny was so relieved that she had stopped that she forgot Elliott was also on his way down. Her eyes widened as the burly man shot out of the tunnel and headed straight for her. Elliott too managed to turn himself over so he was facing Jenny but couldn't stop in time. He collided with Jenny, forcing them both onto the ground with Elliott pressed up against Jenny's body. The bar owner gave her a roguish smile, "Well this is an interesting position", he stated.

"Funny", Jenny wheezed, "but we both know that I prefer to be on top". She tapped him lightly on the cheek, wiping the grin off his face in the process, "Now get off me you're crushing my lungs". As Elliott disentangled himself from Jenny the Time Lady slowly sat up, "You've definitely put on weight in the last three years".

"Well we can't all change our bodies", he huffed in response before reluctantly helping Jenny to her feet. The pair took a good look at their surroundings, not that there was too much to see. The walls, floor and ceiling were made entirely of metal and other than a few rivets, they were completely featureless. "Great, nothing to point the way", the Macadian groaned.

"What were you expecting, a big X marking the spot?" Jenny pulled out her screwdriver and took a few readings, "there's a big power source just around the corner. I bet the main vault is just through there".

The Time Lady led the way around the sharp corner and sure enough, they could see the El Nori diamond sitting on a pedestal in the distance. Jenny took a few cautious steps forward, "This seems too easy", she commented and paused in her stride. Elliott too stopped and looked at the open space between them and the diamond. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a large stone, tossing it between his hands for good measure. Jenny barely had time to question why he was carrying a stone before he threw it down the hall. The rock impacted against something invisible and was instantly turned into tiny pebbles, much to the shock of Jenny, "Warn me next time you do something like that", she scolded him.

"Sorry", Elliott replied with a tone that suggested he was far from apologetic. Jenny rolled her eyes at her companion but chose not to rise to his argument baiting. She focused on rummaging in her clutch bag for something and that turned out to be a small bag of white powder. The Time Lady threw it into the hallway, revealing a series of a laser beams, "Deadly lasers, a little cliché if you ask me", Elliott sighed, "so which one of us is going to pull off a series of impossible gymnastics flips to get to the other side?" He stretched his legs a couple of times before swinging his arms, "I'll warn you, I'm not as agile as I used to be, bit of a dicky knee".

"Please I was doing something like this since the moment I was born", Jenny sighed. She stretched her arm muscles a couple of times and looked set to jump in but at the last moment, she pointed her screwdriver at the ceiling. There was a loud bang and a sudden flash of light before the corridor was plunged into darkness. Even though Jenny couldn't see, she could feel Elliott's eyes boring into her back, "Didn't feel like exerting myself too much", she shrugged and lit up the tip of her screwdriver, "The backup will kick in shortly so I suggest running".

Elliott did as he was told and ran down the dark corridor, making sure to stick close to Jenny. Seconds after they reached the main vault, the lights came back on which reset the security system. The primary vault was a series of locked compartments with doors of varying sizes. The pair could only image the wealth that was behind those doors but for now, their focus was on the El Nori diamond. It was more beautiful than anything gemstone they had seen in their lives. The light seemed to reflect off every surface, making the diamond sparkle brightly. The gem was crystal clear and roughly the size of Elliott's fist, "I can see why this is the most valuable diamond on the planet", he commented.

"Not just the planet, probably this entire galaxy", Jenny added, "now let's swipe it before the guards come looking".

"Little too late for that", the unmistakable voice of Armando Espanoza called out. He stepped into the room flanked by two armed guards. Close behind them were two more guards who pushed two familiar faces into the vault, "I take it by that look you know these two", Espanoza added.

"Say nothing Jenny", the Doctor called out, "we've got this covered". Standing beside the older Time Lady, Clara scratched the side of her head and crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking like she wanted to be anywhere other than in the company of the Doctor. Jenny sighed and held her hands up defensively, they had been caught red handed and there didn't appear to be any way out.


	20. 8: The Big Reveal

_Chapter 10 – The Big Reveal  
_

Armando Espanoza wasn't a stupid person. He remembered Jenny extremely well from their last encounter three years ago. Despite her difference appearance the President of Macadia knew that she was a rogue element, capable of tremendous intelligence and breathtaking violence. There was something bothering him though. Here he was standing on the precipice of victory over the Resistance yet he still felt uneasy. He had captured Jenny, Elliott McKenzie and two other enemy agents that seemed to be in league with the pair easily, perhaps a little too easily.

The two female agents, the ones called the Doctor and Clara Oswald intrigued him. Clearly they were resourceful, breaking into restricted areas of his Palace not once but twice. Judging by their body language though, the pair were slightly uncomfortable in each other's presence. Perhaps his interrogators could use this tension when they were escorted away to the maximum security prison. Another thing that was throwing him off was how calm the three women appeared. Considering they were looking at a long prison sentence or possibly execution, neither of them was showing any outward fear.

Espanoza calmly approached Jenny and relieved her of the El Nori diamond, "I think that belongs to me", he said coolly.

"A billion credit diamond", Jenny snorted, "sitting in a vault gathering dust". The red head shook her head, "That could be used to improve the living conditions for your people".

"What the people don't know won't hurt them", the President chuckled to himself and placed the diamond back on its pedestal. "The common man in the street is easy to manipulate", he continued, "a few words here and there, maybe some false stories in the press", he shrugged his shoulders, "and they are none the wiser to the true situation in the country".

"Like the forced labour camps and the thousands rotting in prison simply because they disagree with your politics", the Doctor spat, "sounds like your people are very happy Mr President", she added sarcastically.

The President of Macadia glared hatefully at the older Time Lady and one of his guards grabbed her roughly by her long dark hair. The Time Lady cried in pain, it felt like her hair was going to ripped out of her scalp, "Careful Doctor, I literally hold your life in my hands".

Jenny was about to make a couple of steps towards her mother but on noticing this, the older woman shook her head as best as she could, "Don't do anything stupid Jenny", she stated, "all this will be over in five minutes anyway". Everyone turned their head towards the older Time Lady, "Oh that got your attention", she chuckled, "call your trained monkey off Espanoza and I might tell you what I know".

Espanoza mused over this for a couple of moments. It could be a bluff by the Doctor but he still held the upper hand. The quartet were trapped fifty feet underground, one exit was blocked by a lethal laser trap and the other by two of his most loyal guards. Feeling confident in his victory he instructed his escort to release the Doctor. The Time Lady stared haughtily at the man and carefully smoothed her hair back into place, "Alright Doctor, you've got my attention", Espanoza began, "so let's talk like civilised people".

"So gracious of you", the Doctor replied sarcastically. She began to pull her screwdriver out of her bag, much to the nervousness of the guards, "It's not a weapon you stupid gorillas, I merely want to bring our man in the van into the conversation". Once again Espanoza called his men off but the group were beginning to try his patience. He wasn't going to keep up this charade for too much longer. The Doctor buzzed her screwdriver towards the ceiling and called out, "I know you sold us out Daniil but we don't blame you".

Elliott's eyes widened at the revelation, "He did what?" he cried. It took him a couple of moments but he noticed that the Doctor, Clara and Jenny didn't look surprised by this news, "You all knew about this?"

"From the very beginning", Clara replied, "Jenny noticed some suspicious data traffic coming out of the TARDIS systems and asked me to investigate. Turns out that Daniil was contacting someone in the Palace the entire time".

There was a moments silence before Daniil's voice came through some hidden speakers, _"I didn't have a choice, Espanoza threatened to kill my family if I didn't help him"._

"How long have you been spying on us?" Elliott hissed, sounding more hurt at the betrayal than angry.

" _I haven't been spying",_ Daniil growled, _"I was asked to report your movements, nothing more. Once Espanoza heard you were coming back into the country, he threatened my family unless I helped bring you in"._

The Doctor took a step forward, placed her fingers together and began to tap her chin, "Blackmail and extortion", she shook her head, "hardly behaviour expected from a head of state". She closed the gap to the President and whispered dangerously, "It would be a shame if that information slipped out".

Espanoza suddenly looked nervous, his eyes darting quickly between the Doctor and his guards. Sensing their leader's discomfort, the pair of armed soldiers tightened their grips on their blasters, "You're bluffing", he said as confidently as he could, "there's no way you could link those transmissions to me".

"Can't we", Jenny produced a small flash drive and waived it between her fingers, "there's a duplicate back on our ship that could broadcast the information we undercover to the entire country".

"And don't think of asking Daniil to delete the file", the Doctor added, "the TARDIS is in lockdown mode, he won't be able to access any systems".

"Fine, name your price", Espanoza cried in exasperation, "whatever you want it's yours".

"Tempting offer", Clara tapped her finger against her cheek, "I mean we could take the diamond with us and pay off our debt", she paused and caught the Doctor's eye, "but that's not our style". Espanoza stared back in confusion, "What we want is information about Cristiano Da Costa, specifically where are you keeping him".

Espanoza snorted, "I see so this is a coup", he stood up a little straighter, "you want to free Da Costa and replace me as President".

"Da Costa is the rightful leader of Macadia", Elliott barked.

"No I am", the President snapped in response, "I'm the one who accepted Jackson's surrender, who organised the army in the first days after the revolution. This country is mine alone to rule".

"But there was a small problem", the Doctor began, "the fact is that no one really likes you Armando. Da Costa had the respect of the army and the majority of the people but you couldn't accept that. Instead you've forced yourself onto this country simply because your ego wouldn't allow you to accept your pitiful lack of popularity".

Anger was building up inside the President and he unleashed his temper on a couple of metal doors just behind him. He kicked them hard, bending the metal until they popped open. This allowed bundles of cash to fall out onto the floor. Espanoza didn't notice that hundreds of thousands of credits now lay strewn across the floor, his attention was firmly on the older Time Lady, "Of course they wouldn't like me, not when that pretty boy Da Costa was around. I'll admit it he's everything that I'm not, honest, charming and able to command the respect of everyone around him".

"So you sent him away out of jealousy", Elliott snorted, "seems a little pathetic to me".

"Not my fault he's too trusting", Espanoza grinned maliciously, "he never suspected that I was plotting against him until the police arrived to take him away". He bent down and picked up a bundle of money from the floor, "The detectives never found the money he was supposed to have embezzled and do you know why?" The quartet shook their heads, "Because it's right here, it never left the Palace", he chuckled.

Once again the Doctor, Clara and Jenny didn't look surprised by this piece of news. Instead the teacher looked at the older Time Lady and smiled, "Shall we tell him now?"

"Seems like a good a time as any", the raven haired woman grinned.

Suddenly the sound of shouting could be heard through the ventilation grates about the vault. Most of them seemed to be angry comments directed towards their current President. There was even a growing chant for Cristiano Da Costa, "What have you done?" Espanoza growled angrily. The Doctor glanced over at Clara with a proud smile and the school teacher tried her best not to look smug

 _The Doctor pushed the card into an open slot and the screen flashed up confirmation that the vault access chute had been opened. As the Time Lady hurried for the exit, Clara looked at the screen with a small smile. For some reason the vault was wired up for sound and audio. As she looked closer the school teacher realised that the entire vault was one big television studio. Her fingers began to type furiously away on the keyboard, "Clara, we have to go", the Doctor called out from the doorway._

" _Just a couple more seconds", the teacher replied. If she could get the right series of commands into the system, she could effectively trigger an emergency broadcast from the vault. Maybe once the people of Macadia saw what President Espanoza was hiding from them, it could trigger another uprising._

" _No Clara", the Time Lady added solemnly, "I suggest we step out of this room very carefully"._

" _I would do as she says", Da Costa's voice boomed, "if you surrender now, I will consider showing you mercy"._ _Clara glanced fearfully at the Time Lady as she entered one final command into the computer. She hit the enter key so that her program would be triggered by the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. Turning off the monitor she slowly stepped into the corridor with her hands raised._

Back in the present Clara finished her story to the amazement of Jenny and Elliott. Espanoza stood there seething at the school teacher, "So when the Doctor connected us to Daniil in the TARDIS, she also triggered the emergency broadcast system", Clara smirked, "little hard to explain to the poor and homeless of the country why they live in poverty when there's billions of credits locked up in this vault.

The group in the vault could hear some heavy banging against the vault door. Judging from their words they were supporters loyal to Da Costa, "Hear that", the Doctor commented, "that's the sound of liberty and justice". Espanoza still had one last card up his sleeve, the two armed guards. Jenny and Elliott were quick to neutralise them though, pulling the blasters out their hands with barely any effort, "I think that's checkmate Espanoza", the Doctor checked a small watch on her wrist, "five minutes twenty seven seconds, must be slowing down in my old age".

The sound of heavy footsteps came thundering down the stairs as half a dozen people rushed in to arrest Espanoza. The soon to be former President of Macadia was dragged away, struggling against his captors, "Get your hands off me, this is treason".

"Tell that to the judge", Clara giggled, "I've always wanted to say that".

Elliott McKenzie couldn't believe his eyes, Espanoza was going to prison and if everything worked out, Da Costa would soon take his rightful place in charge of the country, "I don't know how to thank you guys", he gasped. A few seconds later he approached Jenny, placed both hands against her cheeks and pressed his lips firmly against hers for a searing kiss, one which the red haired Time Lady enthusiastically returned.

In the corner of the room, the Doctor turned her eyes away in disgust. She accepted that her daughter was allow to kiss who she wanted but that didn't mean she had to witness it, "Aww isn't that cute, they really like each other", Clara sighed.

"I suppose", the Doctor reluctantly agreed, "doesn't mean I have to watch though".

"Sorry about that", Jenny said as she walked over. The Doctor and Clara couldn't help but notice that Elliott's arm was draped loosely over her shoulders, "Guess we got caught up in the moment".

"Apology accepted", the Doctor grumbled, even though Jenny wasn't technically apologising for anything, "have you got everything we need?"

Jenny nodded and flashed the El Nori diamond that she had once again relieved from the pedestal, "Yup, now all we need to do is deal with Jackson and everything will be right with the world". The young Time Lady felt a great weight lifted off her shoulders. The timelines were slowly returning back to their correct path and in a few years, Espanoza's period in charge would be nothing but a minor blip in history.

"Good because this dress is making me feel horribly uncomfortable", the Doctor grumbled as she headed for the stairs, "two thousand years in a male body didn't prepare me for wearing strapless dresses and high heels".

"At least you've got the legs for it Doctor", Clare chuckled, "and you're certainly showing a lot of leg from this angle", she added, following the older Time Lady up the stairs.

A bemused look flashed across Elliott's face, he really didn't know what to make of that conversation, "Yeah probably best you don't try to understand", Jenny tapped him on the arm and left in pursuit of the others. Macadia might be getting back on track but there was still the small matter of General Jackson. The next stop would have to be his ship to get the explosive bracelets removed. Assuming that the General kept his word.

 _ **A/N -** One more chapter of Episode 8 to come then we come to my favourite episode that I've written so far. We're past half way so thanks to anyone who's stuck with this series from the beginning and welcome to any newcomers too. _

_The "Save or Slaughter Danny Pink" vote is still open in my profile but only for a few more days. Once the next chapter is posted I will close the vote. If you want to see Danny live or cruelly want him to meet a sticky end, cast your vote now._


	21. 8: The Golden Trio

_Chapter 11 – The Golden Trio  
_

The SS Mizardo silently orbited the planet Estratos, the sparse crew patiently awaiting the arrival of the owners special guests. General Balthazar Jackson sat in what passed for the mess hall on the ship. The dining area was deserted, except for a few metal tables and chairs. The General himself was staring at a small viewing screen with mild amusement. Rolling news channels replayed coverage of what was becoming known as The Silent Revolution. All the residents of Macadia knew was that when they went to bed last night Armando Espanoza was in complete control but when they woke up, the man had been arrested for corruption. Early reports suggested that the Senate had authorised the release of Cristiano Da Costa and he was about to be installed as interim President.

Even though the official reports were sketchy, Jackson knew that Jenny and her two associates were responsible. Quite how asking them to steal a diamond led to the downfall of Espanoza's regime he had no idea. Apparently someone had figured out that the vault also acted as an emergency bunker. Back when he was in power, Jackson installed a broadcast system into the vault. He could remain safe inside the Palace but still address the people if needed. One of Jenny's people must've activated the cameras and tricked Espanoza into confessing his crimes. Rebroadcasting the original images had been restricted but enough people had seen the coverage to make it a talking point across the country.

" _This is the scene outside the Supreme Court as former President Armando Espanoza is led away to prison",_ the newscaster stated. The screen showed a ragged looking Espanoza, still dressed in his military uniform, being led into a prison van. _"We have it on good authority that Cristiano Da Costa will take some role in the new government. It remains to be seen if he takes the vacant Presidential position for himself or calls for the first elections in the country for nearly twenty five years"._

"Ha, traitors the lot of them", Jackson snorted and took a deep drag from his cigar. He blew the smoke into the air and reclined slightly in his chair. The General was about to take another drag when he heard the doors to the mess room open, "Took your time", he called out, "saw your handiwork on the news, making a habit of starting revolutions in my country aren't you".

Jenny walked slowly behind the General and snatched the cigar out of his hand. She flicked some of the loose ash onto his table before crushing the offending item underneath her white Converse trainer, "Smoking's bad for your health Jackson", the red head scoffed.

General Jackson stood up from his chair and straightened himself up to his considerable height. He could see Clara and the Doctor loitering in the background but Jenny was clearly acting as the spokesperson for the trio. Looking into the young Time Lady's eyes he noted how calm she appeared. There was no hint of the fear he had seen during their previous meeting, "So is creating chaos in my country", he boomed. Jenny didn't flinch a muscle and merely stared back neutrally and the giant of a man, "Wish I knew what happened down there, you've clearly grown a pair in the last few days", he snorted.

"Can we get down to business", Jenny interrupted, "I would like to get this thing off my wrist", she held up the metal bangle that contained Jackson's explosive device.

Disappointed that he wasn't intimidating Jenny or the other two women, Jackson straightened his camouflage jacket, "You got the diamond then?"

Jenny reached into the pocket of her blue leather jacket and handed the El Nori diamond over to the General, "So that's it then, we're free to go?" the Time Lady asked hopefully.

"Oh Jenny", Jackson tossed the gem in the air a couple of times, "you cost me the Premiership of my country, did you really think I was going to let you go that easily". He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small metal box, "I've decided to alter our deal slightly".

Letting out a deep and resigned sigh, Jenny flicked her sonic screwdriver in to her hand, "Yeah thought you'd say that". She pointed the sonic at the El Nori diamond and pressed the activation button. One loud burst of sonic waves later the diamond had shattered into thousands of tiny pieces, much to the horror of Jackson, "Did I do that", she said as innocently as she could, "oops". Jenny could see a small vain in the side of the General's head throb violently and a small smile flashed across her face, "You can relax somewhat Jacko, that diamond was a fake".

"Yeah did you really think we'd be stupid enough to take a billion pounds worth of diamond out of a high security vault", Clara scoffed.

General Jackson roared with anger and his thumb hovered near the detonator in his hand, "I wouldn't do that if I was you", the Doctor began, "firstly you're far too close to us, any blast would kill you too". Jackson's thumb quivered slightly and rather reluctantly, he lowered his hand, "Good choice", the Doctor smirked.

The older Time Lady bounced on the balls of her feet for a couple of second waiting for something to happen. It wasn't until Clara nudged her in the ribs that she jolted back into action, "Oh right the other thing", she slapped a hand against her forehead, "forgive me General, I must be going senile". Jackson growled but didn't verbally rise to the Time Lady's bit, "You're little bomb's totally useless, has been since the moment you allowed us to return to London".

There was a deafening silence, that last comment appeared to break General Jackson's slim grip on sanity, "Little defence mechanism of the TARDIS you see", the Doctor continued, "the old girl likes explosive device even less than I do. She fried the detonators in your bangles the second we crossed through the doors". Disbelieving the Time Lady's words, Jackson through caution to the wind and pushed the detonator. He had no planet to rule and no diamond and therefore, nothing left to lose.

The three women stood motionless as the detonator was pushed and as predicted nothing happened. Even after multiple attempts all three of them remained unharmed, "Hmm blackmail, extortion and attempted murder", the Doctor mused. She used her sonic to remove the bracelet off her wrist and then did the same for Clara and Jenny, "That must be what, twenty maybe twenty five years in prison".

"You can't arrest me Doctor", Jackson said frantically, grasping at whatever he could to keep himself out of prison, "you have no authority over me and neither does the Macadian Government".

The Doctor merely smirked in response and turned to Clara, "Do you want to handle this part Clara?"

"With pleasure Doctor", the teacher responded, "under normal circumstances you would be right. No government has the authority to board a ship that's flying in orbit above Estratos, at least that's what the Doctor told me". The arrogant grin on Jackson's face told Clara that she was completely correct, "But there's one thing I can't hear right now", she cupped her ear in dramatic fashion, "and that's the engines". The General's face suddenly fell at that realisation, "I did some digging into Estratos's intergalactic law and any parked vessel has the right to be boarded by ships registered to any sovereign government". The brunette shrugged slightly, "It's an obscure law but these guys confirmed it's still valid".

The mess room doors burst open again and dozens of armed security officers belonging to the Macadian government burst in, "Probably shouldn't have mentioned it to them but getting an explosive bangle strapped to my body really annoys me", Clara added calmly as Jackson struggled with his would be captors.

The ranks of officers parted slightly as someone dressed slightly differently to them pushed past and struck Jackson with a tazer. The giant man's knees buckled and he collapsed face first to the ground, allowing the officers to handcuff him, "General Balthazar Jackson you are under arrest for parking violations in accordance with the Treaty of Macadia", the voice of Elliott McKenzie called out from underneath his helmet. He lifted up the visor and grinned broadly, "There are several other crimes but we'll talk about that along the way". Elliott turned to Jenny and gave her a small wink before leading his men away with Jackson in tow.

"I can't believe we brought down one of the most ruthless dictators in history on a parking violation", Jenny chuckled, "I'll have to remember that one in the future".

The Doctor smiled at the pair, "We make a pretty good team the three of us, when we're not fighting that is".

Clara went to replied but her words caught in her throat. She couldn't disagree with the Doctor, the three of them had worked as a team to bring two ruthless dictators to justice and restore time to its correct course. During the mission her anger towards the Doctor had gradually dissipated. Some parts of the Time Lady's personality still rubbed her the wrong way but Clara found that she could overlook them. The real question was, did she want to give the Doctor another chance? "Can we head back home?" she asked, "I'm three days late for my date".

"Of course", Jenny smiled and grabbed Clara's wrist. With a roll of her eyes the Doctor grabbed onto Clara just as Jenny activated her vortex manipulator. The trio touched down with a bump just off Shoreditch High Street, "Not a bad landing, getting better with each jump".

"Still a nasty way to travel", the Doctor said with disgust. The older Time Lady didn't want to risk the TARDIS falling into Jackson's hands so she parked it in London and reluctantly allowed Jenny to zap them to the ship. They had released Daniil into the custody of Elliott with the promise that he would be treated fairly and reunited with his family. The young hacker hadn't done too much to disrupt their plans and he was only acting under the coercion of Espanoza. It didn't seem fair to condemn him to prison after all the good he had done for the revolution.

"Same night too, maybe I'll use this much more reliable method of transport in the future", Clara commented.

That piqued the interest of the Doctor, "So there will be a next time?" she asked hopefully.

Clara paused and let out a sigh, "You were right Doctor, we do make a good team and I could see that you were genuinely sorry". She pointed a finger accusingly at the older Time Lady, "But pull a stunt like that again-".

"Yes I know", the Doctor sighed, "you'll slap me so hard that I'll regenerate".

"Oh I'll do something much worse than that", Clara replied with a mischievous smirk, "Elliott gave me some security footage of you in his bar. Of course we know that nothing happened but the wider population of the universe doesn't".

"You wouldn't", the Doctor said fearfully, only to get an evil smile from the school teacher.

"Dear Lord, we've created a monster", Jenny chuckled before her face turned a little more serious, "what are you going to tell Danny?"

Clara shrugged, "I don't know, I'll worry about that another day", she looked at her watch and gasped, "despite having access to a time machine I'm still running late". She pulled Jenny into a tight and warm hug before turning to the Doctor. The pair stood awkwardly for a couple of second until the school cautiously wrapped her arms around the older Time Lady. The Doctor held on tight, slightly fearful that Clara would run away, "Don't worry Doctor you're stuck with me", Clara whispered, "against my better judgement I'll hasten to add".

As Clara said her farewells to the Time Lady's they didn't know that someone was observing them. It was the dark haired man that had been onboard the SS Mizardo with General Jackson a few days ago, "Maybe I underestimated them", he commented, "next time I'll have to do something really challenging". He slipped into the shadows before disappearing with a flash of light.

 **END OF EPISODE 8**

 _ **A/N -** Voting has closed and you've voted to keep Danny Pink alive. How that will play out in the story, you'll have to keep reading to find out. _

_Episode 9 will see the return of a Classic Who companion. I'll give you a clue, the story is set on a plane bound for Australia..._


	22. 9: Serpents On An Aircraft

_Episode 9 – Serpents On An Aircraft_

 _Chapter 1_

"Sorry, excuse me, coming through". The sound of frantic footsteps alerted people long before the loud, pierce voice reached their eyes. A female dressed in a light blue uniform weaved her way through the crowd of people. Little beads of sweat gathered on her forehead, gathering just below her short, cropped brown hair. In her right hand was a small suitcase on wheels that nearly tripped up several people. The woman lost control of the case on the polished floor, tipping it out of her grasp, "Damn it", she swore in a prominent Australian accent before picking the falling case up again.

The woman looked out the window nearby and saw her destination, a gleaming white and blue Boeing 747 sitting on the tarmac waiting for action. Unfortunately the jet was the other side of the glass. With a heavy sigh the short haired woman scampered back into the crowd and continued with her run.

Jakarta International Airport was packed as usual. The primary airport in the Indonesian capital was always busy but today it seemed busier than usual. The woman with the suitcase cursed her luck, the one day in the last five years that she had overslept and it coincided with one of the busiest days in the airports history. In desperation to make the flight, she had taken at least two wrong turns. The clinical white walls of the terminal all looked the same after a while. All airports began to look the same when you travelled as much as she had done in her life.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally saw her gate come into sight. She slowed down her stride in an attempt to look unflustered, making sure to flatten her hair down. Picking up her flight case, she smiled at the woman on the door and made her way down the access tunnel to the aircraft. Almost the moment she stepped into the fuselage, she was greeted by a slightly younger woman with sleek black hair and Asian features, "There you are Tegan", she greeted with a soft Antipodean lilt, "I thought we were going to leave without you".

"Bloody overslept didn't I", Tegan grumbled, "has the Captain noticed?"

"Course he has", her fellow flight attendant replied, "didn't you know that Gilly's flying us today". Tegan rolled her eyes, much to the amusement of her co-worker, "I'll take that as a no", the dark haired attendant chuckled, "I said that you were feeling a little under the weather last night".

"Thanks Amy", Tegan squeezed into the galley with her co-worker close behind, "did he buy it?" she asked in hope.

Amy shrugged, "Maybe but I wouldn't push your luck", she paused to greet a couple of passengers that boarded the plane and directed them towards their seats. The plane was only about a quarter full but Tegan had seen the queue of people waiting to board and knew they were about to get busy, "We'll talk later yeah?" Amy added and returned to her spot on the door.

Tegan Jovanka quickly pushed her suitcase into the special locker reserved for the flight crew and set about her pre flight duties. Everything about the woman seemed perfectly normal, settled job, her own home in Brisbane and good if small group of friends with the airline. What people didn't know about Tegan was that she used to travel in a very different way, through time as well as space aboard a ship called the TARDIS.

Five years had passed since Tegan left the TARDIS permanently. She still remembered that day as if it was yesterday, standing in grimy warehouse somewhere in London as she walked away from the Doctor. Sometimes when Tegan closed her eyes she could still hear the desperate pleading from the cricketing attired man, begging her to come back to the ship. But Tegan could do it anymore, she had enough of travelling with the Time Lord and fulfilled a promise she made to herself, to get out whilst it was still fun.

The Australian often wondered what became of the Doctor after she left. No doubt he had filled her place quickly with a new assistant. Maybe he had even regenerated again? Sometimes she still looked up into the sky hoping to see that little blue box again. Not because she wanted to resume travelling with the Doctor again but she just wanted to know that he was alright. The Time Lord had been a little aloof but Tegan had known him for three years and had come to consider him one of her best friends.

That was perhaps one of the things Tegan missed most about TARDIS life. She glanced over at Amy, who was smiling broadly at the latest passengers coming through the door. Tegan probably considered Amy her best friend. Like Tegan, Amy was Australian although her family had emigrated from Hong Kong when she was young. They had met when Tegan joined the airline four years ago and became instant friends. Despite their friendship, Tegan still hadn't told Amy about her life on the TARDIS. As far as she and anyone else were concerned, Tegan had been living in London for a few years to sort out the affairs of her Aunt Vanessa. The fact that her Aunt had been killed by the psychopathic Time Lord known as the Master was yet another secret that the flight attendant carried around with her.

Despite her close friendship with Amy, no one could fill the whole in Tegan heart left by Nyssa and Adric. Nyssa was the sister that Tegan never had, a sheltered princess that bloomed into a confident young woman. Adric was the annoying younger brother of the trio. His precocious and opinionated attitude might have rubbed Tegan the wrong sometimes but his heart was in the right place. His death had been a hammer blow to the Australian, one which if she was honest, she was still trying to get over to this day.

Overseeing this crazy little 'family' was the Doctor, the father figure of the group even though he appeared to be the same age. His youthful looks hid his true age, seven hundred and something he told them, assuming he was being honest. With this youthful appearance came a zest for life that Tegan and the others found intoxicating and they couldn't help but get swept along with the Time Lord. Something changed though shortly after Adric's death, the Doctor became more introverted and maybe even a little harder towards the world. It was part of the reason that Tegan stayed onboard for so long, she was worried where the Time Lord would end up if he continued down that path. Eventually the Australian decided that she could no longer journey that road because it would only lead her to self destruction.

Tegan was still going through her duties numbly when a gentle cough broke her concentration. She turned around to see the Captain of today's flight. Darren Gilchrist was a broad shouldered man in his mid forties. A long time employee with the airline, he was known for his firm attitude with his crew. The attendants knew he was only following the airline's guidebook but they did wish he would loosen up, "Miss Jovanka, feeling better are we?" he asked.

"Much better thank you Captain", Tegan replied stiffly, "must've been something I ate for dinner last night".

"I see", Captain Gilchrist said slowly. Tegan prayed silently that the Captain bought the excuse that Amy gave earlier in the day, she could do without a disciplinary from the company, "Next time please contact the airline helpdesk if you're going to be late", he continued stiffly, "as the head flight attendant you should be aware of the lateness procedure".

The Australian fixed a tight smile to her face, "I won't forget Captain". Tegan wanted to tell the Captain where to stick his procedures but she thought better of it. By the sounds of it she had gotten away with her lateness, to open her mouth now would open herself up to big problems.

Captain Gilchrest fixed Tegan with a stony glare, "Once you've tidied yourself up, please help Miss Wei load the passengers. We can't afford to run any later than we already are". With that parting shot he walked back down the aisle towards the cockpit.

"Fix myself up", Tegan hissed, "of all the things to say". Self consciously she checked her reflection in a nearby mirror. Only than a slightly sweaty forehead from her run through the terminal, she couldn't see anything wrong with her appearance. She decided against mopping her brow, fearful that she would rub off the foundation that she had carefully applied this morning.

Satisfied that she didn't look she had been dragged through a hedge backwards, Tegan joined Amy at the door, "He's got some cheek", her fellow attendant whispered in support, "remember the Christmas party two years ago, he looked really rough that night". Tegan smiled at the memory, that evening they discovered that the normally fastidious Captain Gilchrist couldn't handle his drink and when drunk, he was partial to belting out cheesy pop songs in a disturbingly high pitched voice. She smiled warmly at her friend and continued to greet the arriving passengers.

The scheduled departure time was fast approaching and the steady stream of passengers had slowed to a gentle trickle. Tegan scanned her eyes over the manifest, accounted for were the four flight crew and 162 of the 164 passengers. She checked her watch again, if the final two passengers weren't onboard in the next couple of minutes, the flight would have to leave without them. If it was up to Tegan then she would give them more time but Captain Gilchrist wouldn't allow it, "We're going to have to close up Tee", Amy sighed.

"Yeah I know", Tegan agreed and placed the manifest down on the floor. Amy was just about to move the door when she heard some brisk footsteps coming down the tunnel, "Hold it for a second", she said.

Moments later a petite brunette stumbled through the door, "Sorry about that, got a little distracted on the way". Tegan immediately noticed the British accent and carefully scanned the woman curiously. Her clothes were a little unusual, not of the fashion she was used to seeing in Australia or during her time in the United Kingdom. It had been a few years though, perhaps things were a little different on the other side of the world now, "My friend", the brunette stressed those two words, "thought it would be funny to investigate every aspect of the airport before we could depart".

"But Clara, airports are fascinating", another British accent said but she was just out of Tegan line of sight. "Much better than bus stations, airports are so alive you never know who you're going to-", the voice trailed off as she stuck her head through the door, "see", she added with an almost quiet whisper.

If the brunette's fashion sense was unusual, it was nothing compared to the second woman. Her tailored trousers, pale blue shirt and waistcoat were a little strange to see on a woman but it was nothing compared to the knee length purple velvet coat that looked like it belonged in the Victorian era. The dress sense of the woman wasn't the strangest thing about raven haired woman though. She stared at Tegan like she had seen a ghost and after a few moments it began to get a little unsettling, "Erm hi, welcome to the flight", Amy said in an attempt to break the weird atmosphere, "which one of you is Clara Oswald".

"That's me", the short brunette answered, glancing sideways towards her travelling companion. It seemed that even Clara was surprised at the raven haired woman's strange behaviour

"Great", Amy replied, "which would make you Susan Campbell?"

"Doctor Susan Campbell", the dark haired woman quickly interrupted, keeping her gaze firmly on Tegan.

Amy ticked them off the manifest list, glancing curiously at Tegan, Clara and Doctor Campbell, "Your seats are in economy, if you could find them quickly because the plane is ready to leave".

"Right yes, sorry again for holding you up", Clara grabbed hold of Doctor Campbell's arm firmly and began to pull her away, "come along Doctor, we've got a long flight ahead of us".

Tegan froze, the brunette's use of the name Doctor suddenly sent her back a few years. She quickly shook it off though, there was no way it could be her Doctor. There were millions of people across the globe with the title of Doctor. Plus this was a woman, it just couldn't be her Time Lord, "Do you know them?" Amy whispered.

"Never seen them before in my life", Tegan replied hollowly. She could see that the raven haired woman periodically staring back down the aisle in her direction. She shook her head and focused back on the job in hand. She helped Amy close the cabin door and began final preparations for takeoff. It was just her luck, getting stuck on a flight with someone acting strangely. She would have to keep her eye on Clara Oswald and Doctor Campbell during the trip. Something told Tegan that this wasn't going to be a routine flight.

 _ **A/N -** The returning companion was never going to be anyone other than Tegan was it? This is my final update before Christmas so have a good time everyone and I'll see you on the other side_


	23. 9: Bitten

_Chapter 2 – Bitten_

Clara wasn't a fan of flying, she found the whole experience more than a little soul destroying. Having to arrive the airport several hours before you actually had to leave, the tedious check in process and the endless waiting around often left the teacher feeling like she needed the holiday just to get over journey. Even the flight itself felt a little claustrophobic, travelling thousands of miles above the planet in a narrow metal tube, relying solely on the laws of physics to stay airborne. Perhaps travelling in the TARDIS had spoilt her a little. The ability to journey anywhere in time and space at the flick of a lever beat a package holiday to Magaluf any day.

The brunette wasn't regretting her decision to continue travelling with the Doctor at all. The Time Lady had been more than apologetic in their subsequent adventures since their trip to Macadia. In fact the overt politeness of the alien woman was beginning to get on Clara's nerves and she actually found herself missing the Time Lady's slightly caustic edge. That might have something to do with the fairly safe places they had visited since Macadia which hadn't brought out that side of the Doctor. Even Jenny had become a little bored with the choice of locations and had actually sat out the last trip. Even now the younger Time Lady had opted to stay on the TARDIS and monitor things from a distance.

The TARDIS crew had been drawn to Jakarta by some unusual energy signatures in the centre of Indonesian capital. When they arrived in the city, the energy trail led them to the International airport and then onto this flight. Quite why they needed to actually fly on the plane was a mystery to Clara. Surely the TARDIS could track the aircraft in flight and they could intercept it when it landed? Something had set off the older Time Lady's senses though and she insisted that they board the plane. A few flashes of the psychic paper later and they had bagged themselves a couple of free tickets, which was fortunate as neither of them had any money to make a purchase.

"Ladies and gentlemen this is your Captain speaking", a voice said over the tannoy, breaking Clara out of her thoughts, "we will shortly reach our cruising altitude so it is safe to remove your seatbelts". Clara noticed the Doctor letting out a sigh of relief, clearly the Time Lady didn't like being strapped in either, "The flight to Sydney will take approximately seven hours and your flight attendants will be around shortly with drinks and light refreshments".

"Well isn't this exhilarating", the Doctor slapped her hands together, "two thousand years old and this is my first time on a plane", she paused and briefly shrugged her shoulders, "unless you count that incident with the Wright Brothers but I barely got off the ground then".

Clara sighed but she had to smile at the Time Lady, "Could you at least pretend to be human, at least for the next seven hours. No one in enjoys flying at the best of times, certainly not in economy".

"But just look out there", the Doctor pointed out the window, "here we are, above the level of the clouds with the Earth flashing underneath us. Human enterprise and engineering at its finest this is", she tapped lightly on the fuselage, "you lot looked at birds and thought, I'd like to do that, so you did". By now the Doctor's enthusiastic eulogy and gained attention from a young child in the seat behind her, "You're living at the dawn of humanity's greatest age little one", she said to the slightly scared looking blonde haired girl, "and to think that in forty years time humans will land on Mars for the first time".

"Alright Doctor let's bring it down a notch", Clara physically pulled the Time Lady back into her seat. "I apologise for my friend's behaviour, she's a first time flyer and we took her to the bar to calm her down", she said to the young child's parent, "clearly it didn't work". The adults grinned nervously and quickly returned to their in flight reading rather than continuing conversing with Clara and the Doctor. "Great we've become those people on public transport that you avoid sitting next to", the teacher whispered to the Time Lady, "thanks for that".

The Doctor though looked far from apologetic, "I'm sorry Clara but this whole thing is just", she rolled her hands a couple of times, "fantastic", she added. The Time Lady looked slightly surprised by her expression, "Ooh not used that for a while, this must be the day for revisiting the past". Before Clara had the chance to interrupt the Doctor's rapid trail of thought, the raven haired woman poked her in the leg, "Get your phone out and call Jenny, she doesn't know what she's missing".

"Firstly Jenny's flown space fighters, don't think a jumbo jet is as exciting as that", Clara sighed, "secondly its 1989, I don't think whipping out a smartphone with more processing power than this whole plane is a good idea and lastly you can't use a mobile, it interferes with the electronics".

"Oh that's just an urban legend", the Doctor dismissed Clara's concerns, "but I see your point about the year". She straightened herself up in her seat, "Good thing those earpieces I gave you in Macadia still work".

Clara's gaze snapped over to the Doctor, "I thought you said those would dissolve into our bloodstream in a couple of days", she stated with an annoyed tone.

"I did didn't I", the Doctor looked wistfully at the ceiling, "oops". Clara's displeasure was cut off when the Time Lady whispered, "Jenny, can you read me?"

There was a brief pause before the startled voice of Jenny replied, _"Mum? I thought you said these earpieces would dissolve and stop working?"_

"Exactly what I said", Clara hissed.

"Yes we can both vent your displeasure at me another time", the Doctor hastily replied, "any luck identifying our mystery energy signature?"

" _Nothing yet, the TARDIS is still working on it",_ Jenny began, _"although I can tell you that it doesn't belong on Earth and certainly not in the late twentieth century"._

The brief conversation was cut off as one of the flight attendants approached their seats. The Doctor's eyes immediately fell onto the familiar features of Tegan and a sudden wave of sadness washed over her. The Time Lady regretted the manner of the attendant's departure from the TARDIS, not that long ago from Tegan perspective but centuries ago from the Doctor's. Tegan was right about one thing though, her travels had stopped being fun around that time. They were always enjoyable but from the late point of her fifth incarnation, things had turned a little grim for the Doctor and it wasn't until her eighth life that things began to get back on track. It didn't help that she didn't view her sixth and seventh incarnation fondly and after that came the Time War when everything changed.

The Doctor often thought about looking Tegan up in the intervening years but the pain of her departure weighed heavily on the Time Lady's conscience. Most of her companions of the time lost something, Nyssa her home planet, Tegan her Aunt Vanessa and in the case of Adric and Kamelion, their lives. Contact with the Doctor might have enriched their lives but it had destroyed them. The Doctor didn't want to drag Tegan back into her world but it seemed fate had other ideas, "Anything to drink ladies", Tegan greeted warmly, "water, orange juice or we have a selection of wines".

"No wine for me thanks, disagrees with me", the Doctor had a goofy grin on her face that was distracting Tegan, "just two orange juices please".

Warily the attendant handed over the clear plastic glasses full of the orange liquid. She obviously remembered the peculiar behaviour of the pair during boarding, "Today's in flight meal is chicken in a creamy celery sauce-", Tegan began but she was swiftly interrupted.

"Ah celery", the Doctor sighed, taking a trip down memory, "I used to love celery once upon a time. Not quite so keen on it now, don't really need to be, not so allergic to things as I used to be".

"A-alright", Tegan stammered, not really sure how to respond to that statement, "well if you need anything else just use the call button". She quickly pushed her cart down the aisle, acutely aware that the Doctor's gaze never left her back.

Clara peeked over the seat at the hostess, she had never met her before but clearly the Doctor had. There was something familiar about her face though, like she had seen a picture somewhere, "Friend of yours?"

"Oh yes", the Doctor took her gaze away from the retreating attendant, "not just any friend, former companion". The Time Lady leaned back in her seat her head twisted towards Clara, "That's Tegan Jovanka, companion to my Fourth and Fifth self".

The name suddenly triggered something inside Clara's brain. She had seen Tegan's name on one of the doors inside the TARDIS archives, "No way", the teacher looked over the seat again, unfortunately just at the time Tegan was looking her way. Clara ducked her head in embarrassment, "Great now we both look like weirdo stalkers", she grumbled. "Why don't you introduce yourself? Can't be that often you run into former companion at random".

"You'd be surprised", the Doctor snorted, "but Tegan and I", she let out a loud sigh, "we didn't part on the best of terms. Plus she's clearly happier without me so let's just leave the past alone". The Doctor's dismissive tone and subsequent closed body language told Clara that the Time Lady considered this conversation closed. She briefly wondered what occurred between the pair before deciding to leave well alone, at least for now.

Towards the rear of the plane, an older gentleman slowly stood up from his seat, "Ooh that feels good", he groaned, stretching his wearily limbs that cracked under tension, "I'm getting too old to sit still in one place for too long".

"Don't be silly Adam dear", the woman sitting next to him replied, in a tone that was slightly patronising, "perhaps take a walk around to ease those old bones of yours".

"Maybe I will", Adam grumbled and eagerly stepped away from his overly sarcastic wife. He did decide to take her advice though and have a wonder around. Not that there was much to see inside a plane but a couple of brief strolls down the aisle would at least get the blood moving. Before he did that though, perhaps it would be a good idea if he used the toilet. The queues for the onboard toilets often lasted longer than some flights he had been on so getting there first was always important.

Fortunately for Adam the toilet at the rear of the plane was unoccupied. He pushed the door open and locked it behind him, double checking that the lock was secure. On more than one occasion one of these doors had come open, literally catching him with his pants down. Despite his own claims Adam Norris was only fifty nine years old. He was returning to his home town of Sydney after a two week holiday travelling around the various islands that made up Indonesia.

Adam was about to unzip his shorts when a loud hissing noise echoed inside the small space. He instantly froze, a hissing noise inside a pressurized aircraft was never a good sound. When he heard the noise again, Adam realised that it wasn't the sound of escaping air but more animalistic in nature. He was used to having various species of reptile invading his garden back home in Australia but it was anyone's guess what one would be doing inside a plane.

He bent down to determine where the noise was coming from and in the process, his arm hung perilously close to the toilet bowl. Without warning Adam saw something shoot out the toilet and latch onto his arm. The pain as a pair of fangs buried themselves deep into his flesh was excruciating. The man's vision was becoming blurry but he could make out a jet black snake clamped firmly onto his forearm. The creature let go and satisfied with its work, gave a loud hiss and slipped back into the bowels of the ship. Adam's breathing became erratic as the venom poured through his system and seconds later he slumped down onto the floor absolutely motionless. He weakly called out for help but as he breathed his last, it was clear that no one had heard him.


	24. 9: The Penny Drops

_Chapter 3 –The Penny Drops  
_

About an hour into the flight, it was becoming clear to Clara that the Doctor was growing restless. The dark haired alien's leg was bouncing on the spot and she was barely able to keep her concentration on anything for longer than a few minutes. Whether it was the knowledge that a former companion was just a few metres away or just sitting in one place for an extended period of time that was getting to the Time Lady, Clara wasn't completely sure. Periodically she caught the Doctor fiddling with her sonic screwdriver, probably eager to sneak into the hold and go searching for whatever was causing the strange readings.

Eventually Clara couldn't take the fidgety Time Lady any longer. She looked around to make sure the coast was clear before giving the Doctor a nudge, "If you want to sneak into the cargo deck, now's our chance", she whispered.

The Time Lady gave the teacher a mischievous smile and slowly rose from her seat. It was at that moment that the pair heard a gentle banging coming from the rear of the plane. The Doctor noticed Tegan tapping on the rear toilet door with the other flight attendant, Amy, and an older looking woman in attendance. Sensing trouble, the Doctor frowned and slowly walked in that direction with a confused Clara in tow.

"Mr Norris", Tegan whispered through the door, "is everything alright in there", she tapped again but there was no response.

"He's been in there for the last thirty minutes", Mrs Norris said urgently, "I know he has difficulties these days, well you do when you get to our age but this is most unusual".

The constant tapping on the door had drawn attention from some of the passengers in the nearby seats. Amy was trying her best to keep them calm but concern was growing for the unresponsive passenger in the toilet. An increasingly frazzled Amy finished speaking with a male passenger when the Doctor reached the area, "I'm sorry Madam but the toilet is out of order at this time", she stated.

"I can see", the Doctor eyed the door suspiciously, "I thought you could use some medical assistance", she leaned a little closer to the woman, "I am a Doctor after all".

Amy chewed on her lip, she hoped that this incident wasn't too serious but something clearly wasn't right. She and Tegan were trained in basic first aid but if it was something more serious than that, they would have to make an emergency landing. "Alright perhaps you'll have more luck than my colleague", Amy said hesitantly. The flight attendants had been keeping an eye on these two passengers since they boarded due to their suspicious behaviour. Tegan in particular had been freaked out by the dark haired woman and was reluctant to serve her again. It seemed a little too coincidental that she happened to be on this flight just when a medical emergency was occurring.

As the Time Lady squeezed passed Clara attempted to do the same but she was stopped by Amy, "Sorry I'm her medical student", the teacher lied, "it's my job to shadow her".

"Fine", Amy grumbled and let her through. She had more pressing concerns right now, like informing the Captain what was happening on board his plane.

Tegan was growing more concerned with each passing moment. The male passenger wasn't responding and his wife was getting more agitated by the second. Her mood wasn't improved by the sight of the strangely dressed dark haired woman and her petite friend. Somehow she knew that those two would stick their noses into this situation, "What are you two doing here?" Tegan hissed.

"I thought you'd need some medical assistance", the Doctor began, "Doctor isn't just a name I gave myself you know".

The small smile on this woman's face threw Tegan for a moment. It was almost like she was laughing at a joke that only she knew, "That's kind of you to offer but we don't know that he needs medical assistance yet", the flight attendant replied.

"He's been in there for thirty minutes", Mrs Norris snapped, "I think it's clear that he needs helps".

"His wife I take it", Clara tried to calm her down, "is he on any medication, any long standing conditions like that?" she asked. Other than a basic first aid course, Clara's only medical experience was watching Casualty on television every Saturday night. It seemed like the right kind of question to ask at this stage though, at the very least it made her sound like she knew what she was talking about.

Mrs Norris shook her head, "Nothing that I can think of, he's really active for someone of his age".

"Hmm that is a concern", the Doctor said quietly so that only Tegan could hear, "the first thing we need to do is get this door unlocked. Do you have a key or something that could open the door?"

Tegan shook her head, "It's just a simple catch lock, you could jiggle it open with a credit card or something like that".

"Very well, Clara could you escort Mrs Norris back to her seat", her companion nodded and gently led the reluctant Mrs Norris away. The Doctor inspected the catch, it would be simple enough to push the lock over if a little fiddly. Standing up quickly she 'accidentally' nudged Tegan, distracting the Australian long enough to use the sonic on the door. The Time Lady heard it click and smiled triumphantly, "There we go, just gave it a little nudge and it popped open".

"Did you hear that whining noise?" Tegan asked as she straightened her uniform.

"Didn't hear a thing", the Time Lady said quickly in response. She could see that Tegan didn't look convinced though which left the Doctor in two minds about telling her the truth. There were more pressing concerns though for the health of this man trapped inside the toilet. Revealing her true identity would have to wait until after they checked on him. The Doctor pushed the handle down but the door didn't move, "There's something blocking the door", she said.

"He must've blacked out", Tegan added fearfully and joined the Doctor in pushing the door. They didn't want to push too hard though, just in case they did more harm than good. A few hard shoves later and the door partially opened, revealing the body of Adam Norris, "Oh my God", Tegan cried, "is he...", her voice trailed off, leaving the final word unsaid.

The Doctor had seen enough death in her many lifetimes to know when someone was dead. The pale complexion, the glassy eyed and fixed stare were an instant giveaway. Just for confirmation the Doctor grabbed his arm to check for a pulse and that's when she noticed the puncture marks in his flesh. Leading away from the wounds were tiny black lines, indicating some kind of poisonous animal bite, "That wasn't something I was expecting", she commented, "he's been bitten by something".

Swallowing her fear Tegan stuck her head through the door and nearly gagged at the sight of the deceased man. She quickly saw the bite marks on his arm and instantly drew the same conclusion, "Looks like a snake bite", Tegan groaned, "why did it have to be snakes, I can't stand them".

"No I suppose that incident with the Mara put you off them for life", the Doctor commented without thinking about what she said. A couple of seconds later she mentally cursed herself for letting that slip. Surely Tegan would guess her identity, only a handful of people knew about the monstrous snake monster that once possessed the flight attendant.

For a few moments it didn't register in Tegan's mind what the Doctor said but it slowly began to dawn on her. She turned her head to look at the Time Lady, whose face was just a few inches away from her own. "How could you know about the Mara", she whispered fearfully, the mental damage done by the influence of the creature of pure hatred was one of the reasons she left the TARDIS. Suddenly at this close proximity she could see the ancient eyes on the woman, eyes that belonged to someone much older than she appeared and that's when the penny finally dropped, "No", she shook her head, "no, no, it can't be you".

"Hello Tegan", the Doctor whispered, "it's been a long time, well a very long time for me".

"Doctor?" Tegan asked and the Time Lady nodded slowly in confirmation, "no, this is a trick, someone impersonating you".

The Doctor grasped Tegan's shaking hands firmly, "Tegan you saw me regenerate that time on Logopolis", she referenced the Fourth Doctor's regeneration into the Fifth in an attempt to convince her former companion of her identity. "You know that I can change my appearance, this is change is just a little more dramatic than some of the others".

"I'll say", Tegan gasped, reaching out of touch the Time Lady's long hair, "I think I preferred you as a blonde", she attempted to joke and it did draw a small smile from the Doctor, "I knew there was something strange about you from the very beginning".

"Never could handle portraying a normal human being very well", the Doctor snorted. She looked down at the deceased Adam Norris with a heavy sigh, "The question is, what are we going to do about this poor fellow".

Amongst the revelation of meeting the Doctor again, Tegan had completely forgotten about the deceased passenger currently occupying the toilet. A stab of fear struck her in the heart, "You mentioned the Mara, you don't think this is his work do you?" Grimly the Doctor pulled out her screwdriver and did a quick scan of the body, "You've gone back to using a sonic screwdriver?" she asked.

"Yeah, got bored of going hands free", the Time Lady commented, "only so many times you can save the day with the contents of your jacket pocket". She finished her scan and quickly checked the results, "Nothing on this man indicates the presence of the Mara and there's nothing matching that hideous creature's energy signature nearby".

The Doctor rocked back on her legs and rubbed her chin, something didn't feel right about this man's death. It wasn't uncommon for airlines to carry live animals but whatever had attacked this man had breached the internal bowels of the plane. Not even the strongest reptile currently found on Earth could do that. Clearly this warranted further investigation, "Tegan what's the normal procedure in the event of medical emergency?"

Tegan blinked, not sure how that question was relevant to discovering what attacked her passenger, "We land at the nearest available airport", she replied, "but I'll be honest Doctor we're probably over the Indian Ocean now".

"Probably too far from Jakarta to turn back so we'll have to push on to Australia", the Time Lady mused.

"That'll be either Darwin or Cairns, depending exactly where we are", Tegan agreed, "I should inform the Captain of this", she added and slowly stood up.

"Which leaves me with the fun job of telling the widow", the Doctor sighed, "I don't know how real Doctor's actually break bad news on a regular basis". For a couple of moments Time Lady and former companion stared at each other, neither had the remotest idea what to say to the other, "We'll catch up probably later, maybe when we're not under attack from some poisonous wild animal".

Tegan nodded and slowly nudged passed Mrs Norris and the brunette who she guessed was the Doctor's current companion. The flight attendant couldn't believe it, of all the people she runs into it had to be the Doctor. Tegan hadn't asked but it was clear that this Doctor was much older than the one she knew which made her wonder why she hadn't dropped in on Tegan prior to now. Had the Doctor been angry with her for abandoning the TARDIS five years ago?

On her way towards the flight deck, Tegan was stopped by a male passenger. He had short dark hair and if Tegan was honest with herself, he wasn't that bad to look at either, "Is everything alright back there?" he asked, "I thought I heard some commotion".

"All under control Sir", Tegan replied as calmly as she could, "I do have to talk to the Captain though so please excuse me".

As she retreated further down the plane, the man frowned and looked back to the rear of the plane where he noticed the Doctor speaking with an older lady. This wasn't how things were meant to go but perhaps he could turn this to his advantage. He subtly checked the pocket of his long dark coat where a futuristic looking blaster rested, "Don't get too comfortable Doctor", he whispered, "you're in for a bumpy ride".


	25. 9: Snake Charmer

_Chapter 4 – Snake Charmer  
_

"A snake bite?" Tegan winced at the incredulous tone of Captain Gilchrist, visibly withdrawing into herself as he scrutinized her carefully. The flight attendant had broken the news about the dead passenger currently occupying the toilet just a few moments ago. As predicted the Captain hadn't taken the news too well, especially when Tegan gave him the suspected cause of death, "How the bloody hell could be have been bitten by a snake?" Captain Gilchrist snorted.

Instantly Tegan was transported back several years to her travels with the Doctor. She often felt like the odd one out in their little group, Adric brought his intellect to the team, Nyssa her calm demeanour and diplomacy. Even the shady Turlough had his uses, often coming up with a plan or scheme that the others would never have considered. Compared to them Tegan felt inadequate, she was just a flight attendant who wandered into the wrong box at the wrong time. Even now she didn't know why the Doctor kept her around, there must've been someone more worthy to take onboard the TARDIS.

She wasn't the bravest person but somehow just being around the Time Lord boosted her self esteem. The dark haired woman in the cabin wasn't the Doctor she remembered but that didn't matter. The Doctor was here and she would find a way to stop whatever was onboard this plane. If she said it was a snake then it was good enough for her, "I know what I saw", Tegan snapped back, pushing aside her doubts with those words. Captain Gilchrist glared harder but the Australian stood her ground, "There's someone knowledgeable onboard, she said it was a snake".

"Did she", Captain Gilchrist began, "and what kind of expert is she?"

"The best kind", the Doctor poked her head through the open door, making Tegan and the two pilot's jump, "Hello I'm the Doctor", she beamed and flashed her psychic paper, "this should tell you everything you need to know".

Tegan craned her head to look at the leather wallet in the Time Lady's hand but to her shock, the paper inside was blank. She glanced at the dark haired woman who merely winked in response. "Federal Air Marshall, reptile division", Captain Gilchrist replied with an incredulous tone, "you don't sound very American, Doctor?"

"Yeah, well", Tegan watched as the Time Lady fumbled for an excuse, "you don't sound very Australian to me". The flight attendant couldn't help but snort with laughter, drawing another glare from her Captain. The Doctor used this distraction to direct her next question towards the First Officer, "Any live animals reported on the flight manifest?"

First Officer Steve Hills was relatively new to the airline with less than six months flying time in this aircraft. Tegan reckoned he had been partnered with Captain Gilchrist today to help the young pilot learn from one of the more experienced flight crew in the company. He was in his late twenties, slight of build with a closely cropped head of blonde hair. Immediately he began to fumble for the manifest, a log containing a full record of everything in the hold, trying to find anything that fitted the description. After a couple of moments he shook his head, "Nothing today other than passengers luggage and some mail, no reports of live animals of any kind".

"Didn't think it would be that easy", the Doctor grumbled, "looks like we'll have to search the hold", she said to Tegan.

"Now wait just a minute", Captain Gilchrist interrupted the Time Lady, "you need to have special privileges to access the hold during flight".

"I know and this", once again the Doctor flashed the psychic paper showing the fake Air Marshall's badge, "gives me that privilege", she added with a sickly sweet and slightly patronising smile. "Come along Tegan, I'm sure the Captain has plenty of work to do, emergency landing on the grounds of a medical emergency and all that".

As Tegan was being led back towards the cabin, she briefly caught a look on annoyance on the Captain's face. That wasn't going to make her popular with the uptight pilot, she was already on his bad side after arriving late this morning. Groaning internally she whispered to the Time Lady, "I hope you don't get me fired for this and what did you show Captain Gilchrist, it looked blank?"

"Psychic paper", the Doctor replied, "shows whatever I want someone to see, I've upgraded my equipment since the last time we met".

"And how long is that Doctor?" Tegan asked impatiently, the Doctor had said many things but at the same time told her nothing at all.

Almost immediately Tegan picked up on a look in the Time Lady's eyes. She wasn't sure but it looked like a small amount of shame flashed across those dark brown eyes. The Time Lady stiffened slightly, "Now's not the time to talk about the past", there was a brief pause as the dark haired woman spotted Clara and Amy coming down the aisle, "because Clara and your colleague are here, hello I'm the Doctor", she said to Amy, "sorry, love to stick around but there's work to be done".

"Tegan?" Amy asked cautiously, "who the hell is this and what happened to that passenger in the toilet?"

"Dead", the Doctor said bluntly, "and we need to hunt his killer before it strikes again so come along Tegan, Clara", she added impatiently and pushed past the younger flight attendant and headed in the direction of the hold hatch.

Internally Tegan was caught in two minds, part of her wanted to stay out of the Doctor's adventure and look after her passengers, however, she really wanted to know what had attacked Mr Norris. She flashed an apologetic smile at Amy and shuffled past her, "Amy I'm sorry but can you keep the passengers calm, I'll be back as soon as I can". Scurrying up the aisle Tegan could see the worried expressions on the passenger's faces. They knew something was wrong and fear was beginning to spread. Tegan had been doing this job long enough to know that fear and panic in an enclosed space like an aeroplane was a bad thing. She felt a little guilty for leaving Amy to look after them but she trusted her friend would do the right thing for everyone's safety.

When Tegan reached the galley, the Doctor had already opened the hatch and was preparing to climb down, "Ah Tegan excellent as I saying to Clara the hold of a plane at this altitude will be extremely cold. You can't afford to hang around for too long otherwise you'll freeze".

"What about you Doctor?" Tegan asked with concern.

"Time Lord biology, built to last I am", she smiled, "now then, ladies first", she gestured towards Clara and Tegan. The flight attendant wondered if the Doctor knew that also referred to himself now but she guessed that old habits must die hard.

As they climbed down the ladder, Tegan was instantly hit by a blast of cold air. She was aware that unlike the rest of the plane, the hold wasn't heated so it was exposed to the cold temperatures that occurred at 35,000 feet. The skin of the aircraft gave some protection but they probably had only ten to fifteen minutes, unless they went back for some warmer clothing. "You never told me what killed that man", Clara asked the pair, "it would help to know what I'm looking for".

"I'm pretty sure it was some kind of venomous animal, most likely a snake", the Doctor answer. To the surprise of the Time Lady and Tegan, Clara began to snigger with laughter. It made the flight attendant wonder what kind of people the Doctor travelled with these days, "This is hardly a laughing matter Clara", the Doctor scolded.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help it", Clara apologised, "but we're looking for a snake on a plane, you have to admit that's kinda ironic". Tegan looked back blankly at the school teacher and she was pleased that the Doctor was also looking as mystified, "You know, this is just like that film Snakes on a Plane, where some criminals release a bunch of poisonous snakes and Samuel L Jackson has to save the day". Tegan was still completely lost, "Well Tegan here wouldn't know but surely Jenny's mentioned it once, she's hardly ever out of the cinema".

The Doctor shook her head but Tegan was completely lost, "Who's Jenny, another companion?" she asked.

"Sort of", the Doctor replied quickly, "we should probably split up, it'll speed up our search. I'll look down the far end and you two can search these crates", she was halfway down the hold when she called back, "and don't wonder off".

The hold of aircraft felt like a warehouse, expect that the walls were made of metal and extremely close. The near freezing temperature added to the claustrophobic atmosphere. The luggage was held in giant metal boxes which allowed it to be stored securely and distributed the weight evenly. Sadly it made the search a little difficult as the boxes were packed with suitcases and without any idea what they were looking for, they were trying to find a needle in a very tightly packed haystack.

Clara and Tegan patiently began their search through the suitcases, quietly pushing aside ones they had already investigates before moving onto the next one. The flight attendant was a little hesitant to strike up a conversation with Clara. She seemed like a nice enough person but he English woman was effectively her replacement on the TARDIS. Would talking to her about the Doctor be awkward? It felt like trying to strike up a conversation with the new partner of your ex-boyfriend, "I don't bite", Clara broke the silence, much to the Australian's surprise, "actually that was a really poor choice of words when there's a snake on the loose".

"Yeah I'll say", Tegan gave a light hearted laugh. She tried to think of a relatively neutral conversation topic to begin with, "So you're from England, I spent a few years there?"

"Blackpool born and bred", Clara replied without turning her attention away from the container, "that must've been where you met the Doctor?"

"Yes I stumbled into the TARDIS thinking it was an actual Police Box", Tegan smiled, "he must've thought I was a right idiot".

"Oh I don't know, she's done some crazy things in the past", Clara retrieved a striking leopard print case from the container and gave it a peculiar look, "just like the person who brought this case", she added and dropped it into their completed pile.

Tegan gave a tense smile, she couldn't tell if Clara was deliberately keeping the conversation away from the Doctor. Maybe she felt just as awkward about this as she did? A few more quiet minutes of searching followed and the Australian was beginning to feel the cold. Her work blouse and skirt weren't designed for standing in a plane's hold and the tips of her fingers were turning blue. Looking over at Clara she didn't appear to be feeling the cold quite so much. Then again her skirt, tights and jumper combination looked much warmer than her attire, "Must have interesting fashions over in England now", another safe topic Tegan thought, "I noticed your clothes the moment you stepped on the plane, they make you stand out".

"Really", Clara looked down, "I thought the eighties were back in fashion for 2015". That made Tegan stop in her track, the Doctor's new companion was from twenty six years in her future. By Tegan's calculations she would in her mid fifties by Clara's time, "You alright, you look like you've seen a ghost?" Clara asked gently, turning her attention away from her search.

Tegan swallowed and nodded slowly, "Yeah you just surprised me that's all, I knew the Doctor would probably have travelled after I left but I didn't imagine it would be twenty six years since she last saw me". The Australian noticed Clara look away guiltily and a feeling of dread spread throughout her body, "It's been more than twenty six years for her hasn't it", Tegan asked with a small voice, "how long?"

"I shouldn't be the one to-"

"How long Clara?" Tegan asked with a steely tone that even she didn't know she possessed.

A tense silence fell over the hold as Tegan watched Clara chew on her lip. The flight attendant knew she was debating whether to tell her the truth, "You travelled mostly with the Fifth Doctor I believe", Tegan nodded slowly, "She's the Twelfth Doctor". Tegan's blood ran cold, she wasn't familiar with the lifecycle of the Time Lords but even she couldn't imagine the Doctor going through seven incarnation in a quarter of a century. "I don't really know how old she is and to tell you the truth I don't think even she knows", Clara continued, "but she claims to be over two thousand years old now".

Tegan's knees felt weak, the Doctor had been gone much longer than she could comprehend. Her Doctor hadn't been too keen to share his age but picking up bits of his conversations, she knew him to be close to eight hundred years old. That would mean that since their last meeting, over twelve hundred years had passed for the Time Lady. It was hurtful to think that in all that time, the Doctor hadn't looked her up once. Her mind was awash with questions, had the Doctor looked any of her other friends up? Had he found Nyssa or Turlough? Was she the odd one out, forgotten about because she abandoned the TARDIS? "Tegan, you still with me?" she heard Clara's voice breaking through the fog, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to drop that on you. Maybe you should talk this through with the Doctor".

The flight attendant straightened herself up, finding that inner strength that the Doctor had brought out in her. She never dreamt that she would be using it to protect herself from pain caused by the Time Lady, "I'm fine, clearly the Doctor didn't want to talk so why should I", the hurt was obvious in her voice and she was surprised that Clara didn't comment on it. Instead the school teacher seemed to understand exactly what she was going through, "Let's find this bloody snake, we don't need a fancy alien to do that".

"Spoken like a girl after my own heart Tegan", Clara smiled and the two women resumed their search in the container. They were so busy with their search that they failed to notice a pair of yellow eyes peering at them through the dark. A large snake with jet black scales slivered closer to the women, it's forked tongue tasting the air around them. It kept to the shadows, coiled to strike at a moment's notice. The reptile could afford a little smile, they had no idea that they were about to become its next meal.


	26. 9: Bad To Worse

_Chapter 5 – Bad To Worse_

Ten minutes and three containers later, Clara and Tegan were no closer to finding any evidence of a snake onboard the plane. They had been through every suitcase and bag in those metal boxes but nothing stood out as a carrier of reptiles. Tegan's hands were extremely cold by now, her joints were almost too stiff to move and the constant need to rest on the metal container was turning her skin red raw. At least the atmosphere between her and Clara had thawed somewhat. The Australian had stopped projecting her negative feelings towards the Doctor onto her current companion and actually found herself enjoying the school teacher's company. Clara was reliving the previous Christmas with the Eleventh Doctor and Tegan couldn't help but laugh extremely loudly, "Let me get this straight, you enter the TARDIS and you find the Doctor naked and hairless?"

"Yup", Clara snorted, "he was bored apparently, quite why he didn't read a book like the rest of us is beyond me".

"I can't imagine either of the Doctor's I met doing that", Tegan shook her head, "can't imagine this Doctor would either", she added, thinking about the dark haired woman. The Time Lady seemed a little stiff to her and definitely a little irritable.

"You get used to her", Clara shrugged before shoving her head back into the container, "she's definitely loosened up since the first time I met her". Clara paused to examine a small suitcase but quickly tossed it away, "She's a bit of a grumpy old woman who happens to be stuck in the body of a thirty something". Tegan nodded in agreement, just an hour in the Doctor's presence drew her to the same conclusion.

Suddenly Tegan noticed Clara stiffly slightly, her hand was still inside the container and by the looks of things, somewhere near the bottom, "Found something?" she asked with a whisper. Growing up in Australia gave her plenty of experience with snakes and she knew they were very sensitive to vibrations. Just speaking too loudly could cause it to lash out at Clara which the flight attendant wanted to avoid at all costs.

Clara nodded sharply and pulled her hand out, bringing something with her. The light in the hold was dim but even Tegan could tell that it was snakeskin, "Look at the size of this thing", Clara gasped. The empty skin was at least twenty feet long and almost jet black in colour, "If this is the skin, where's the rest of him?"

As Clara took a closer look inside the container, Tegan became of a presence just over her left shoulder. Years of travelling with the Doctor told her that whatever was watching her, it probably meant to cause her harm. Turning her head slowly she spotted a pair of yellow reptilian eyes inching closer. Fighting the urge to scream she slowly backed away, "Clara step away from the container, slowly", she gasped.

When the school teacher spotted the snake she jumped with fright but like Tegan, she resisted the urge to run in terror. The two women slowly inched away but the snake was following them, teasing them before striking, "Shame we didn't come across any weapons in those boxes", Clara whispered.

"You can't be thinking of fighting this thing?" Tegan shook her head. In fact most of her body was shaking, her experience with the Mara had left a strong impression on her psyche. Ever since that incident she had been absolutely terrified of snakes and this twenty foot monster wasn't helping her fear.

"Well it's either that or get turned into snake food", Clara retorted. Tegan's head snapped towards to Clara, was the Doctor's latest companion was absurdly brave or just plain reckless? The snake slowed its pace and began to rear up at the pair, "Alright on three we dive through the gap in those containers and run for it". Tegan head barely nodded, she was too petrified to move any more than that, "One", she vaguely registered Clara's voice and tried to prepare her body for movement, "Two-".

Before Clara could reach three there was a loud crash as something struck the metal container next to the snake. Both Tegan and Clara cried out in fright, clinging to each other for support. The sound of the bang was still reverberating around the narrow hold as the women cautiously released their grip on each other. Frantically they started searching for the snake but to their surprise, it was lying in a heap on the floor with a large dent in the side of its head.

It was then that Tegan noticed something touching her foot. She flinched believing it to be another snake but to her immense relief, it wasn't. In fact it wasn't even alive, "Is that a cricket ball", Clara pointed at the small object next to Tegan's foot. The Australian bent down, the red leather and prominent stitching confirmed that it indeed was a cricket ball, "Where the hell did that come from?"

"Me", the Doctor's voice carried down the hold. She was rolling her right arm slightly, like she was shaking off a muscle strain. In her left hand was an ornate wooden box a little bigger than a shoe box with several carved symbols around the sides. The manner with which the Doctor was carrying the box showed that it was empty, "I'm not as fast as I used to be but I can still throw a cricket ball with deadly accuracy".

For a brief moment Tegan wasn't sure whether to hug or hit the Time Lady. She had saved both of their lives but what if she had missed? Would her Doctor have been so casual with his rescue? She noticed the Time Lady reach down and picked up the large snake somewhere near the head. The limpness of the creature reassured Tegan that it was dead but that still didn't make her want to come any closer, "Aren't you a little beauty", the Time Lady began, "I'm sorry for the cricket ball to the head but I couldn't allow you to bite my friends".

"I'm not sorry its dead", Tegan said harshly.

That comment drew a sharp reaction from the Time Lady, "I didn't want to kill it Tegan but I had no choice", she hissed with disappointment in her voice.

"I despise snakes Doctor", Tegan snapped, "you would know that if you dropped in more than once a millennium". Almost instantly Tegan noticed the Doctor recoil like she had been slapped in the face. For a brief moment there was a sense of victory from the Australian but the pained expression from the Time Lady soon had her regretting her words, "I'm sorry, that was out of order", Tegan apologised.

"No, I think I deserved that", the Time Lady sighed.

The atmosphere in the hold turned very awkward, Tegan didn't know how to respond to the Doctor and the Time Lady looked like she wanted to cut a hole in the fuselage and fly away from the situation. Fortunately for the pair, Clara came to the rescue, "So do you know what type of snake it is?" she asked the Doctor.

"Hmm, oh yes", the Doctor's attention seemed to snap back to the present, "it's a Eusebian Black Mamba, as the name implies it's native to the planet Eusebia".

"It's an alien snake?" Tegan interrupted the Time Lady, "so how did it get on to a plane in Indonesia?"

"Very good question, to which I don't have the answer", the Doctor let go of the snake and presented the wooden box, "the Eusebian is special in that its growth cycle from hatchling to adult is extremely rapid. In the right environment they can go from egg to adult in a matter of minutes". She showed the empty box which didn't looked like it could contain a twenty foot snake, "Eusebian's love cold temperatures and the hold of the plane would've been ideal for the critters to hatch and break free of the box".

"Critters, as in more than one?" Clara asked. Tegan immediately began to scan the floor, desperately trying to find any more lurking in the shadows.

"Most likely", the Doctor nodded sadly, "the sonic detected multiple biosigns but it couldn't be certain how many".

Tegan let out a loud groan, "So we have an unknown number of snakes slithering around a jumbo jet", she shook her head, "what else could go wrong today?" Suddenly and without warning the plane lurched to the right, sending the Doctor, Tegan and Clara tumbling into the side of one of the freight containers. Just as soon as the lurch began, it was corrected only to be followed up to a more violent roll to the left, "I just had to ask", the flight attendant cried, struggling to regain her footing.

"I've got a feeling I know where one of them is", the Doctor said once the rolling of the plane had stopped, "and it's not good news for us". She turned sharply and set off in a sprint towards the access ladder, weaving between the metal containers at speed, "We need to get to the cockpit and fast".

"The cockpit", Tegan whispered, trying desperately to keep up with the Time Lady. If a snake had found its way into the cabin, there was no telling how much damage it could do. There were so many sensitive pieces of equipment, even one wire out of place could bring the plane down. That was before she considered the implications of an incapacitated pilot.

The trio jumped back into the galley and Tegan didn't even bother to seal the hatch behind her. The Doctor was already some way in the distance, picking her way between rows of frightened passengers, "Clara I need something to create a loud noise", the Time Lady called out.

"What's wrong with the sonic?" the school teacher shouted back.

"I can't risk shorting out anything in the cockpit, going to have to do this the old fashioned way", the Time Lady fired back. Tegan could see the terror in the eyes of her passengers, the plane was still lurching wildly and now there were two strangers frantically charging through the cabin. She wasn't doing much better herself, if the pilots were fighting off a killer snake then there was a real risk they could knock the plane into a fatal dive or roll. Even the Doctor would struggle to pull a plane out of a stall and save everyone on board.

Feeling like she needed to do something to help, even if it was to distract herself from her own fears, Tegan shouted after the Time Lady, "Can anything slow the venom down Doctor?" She winced as a couple of nearby passengers cried out in fear but keeping the pilots alive was her top priority.

"If we're quick enough then something acidic could burn away enough of the venom", the Doctor said over her shoulder, "but that's a very slim chance. It would buy use a few extra minutes".

A few minutes were better than nothing Tegan thought and almost on instinct grabbed as many glasses of orange juice from the seated passengers as she could. Whether this was sufficient she didn't know but at least she was being useful. "Tegan", she heard a panicky Amy call out, "what's going on?"

"Stay away from the cockpit", Tegan snapped back, "and get everyone out of first class if you can". She slowed down and saw the pleading look from her co-worker, "Please Amy this is serious, I'll explain in a minute".

Not slowing down to see if Amy was following her instructions, Tegan was about to enter the cockpit when Captain Gilchrist stumbled through the narrow doorway. Immediately the flight attendant could see a couple of small puncture wounds on his exposed forearm. She quickly threw some of the orange juice into the wounds, drawing a loud cry of pain from the Captain, "Sorry Gilly but that's for your own good". Moments later Clara nudged past with a couple of metal trays and immediately began banging them together. Quite how this scene looked to the passengers, a flight attendant throwing juice over the Captain as a passenger smashed some trays together, Tegan didn't care as long as it drove the snake away.

Swallowing her fear Tegan inched into the cockpit just as the noise died down. The Doctor was kneeling on the vacant Captain's seat scanning the floor carefully as First Officer Hills gripped his steering column for dear life. Fortunately the young pilot appeared to have gotten the plane back under control. Sadly for everyone concerned, there was no sign of the snake, "Tegan did the pilot get bitten?" the Time Lady asked anxiously.

"Yeah but it doesn't look as bad as Mr Norris", Tegan gasped between breathes, "I tried to cleanse the wounds with orange juice".

"Nice", the Doctor nodded in appreciation, "very quick thinking Tegan but even a small dose of venom will be fatal very quickly".

"Do you have any anti-venom?" Clara asked, slowly standing down from noise making duty.

"You know I forgot to pack my snake anti-venom", the Doctor snapped back sarcastically, "stupid of me I know".

"But yet you remembered a cricket ball", Clara countered. To Tegan's surprise that actually silenced the Time Lady, her respect for the English school teacher had just gone up a level.

From his seat First Officer Hills snapped, "Tegan who are these people and why was there a bloody snake in our cockpit".

"Very good question", Amy joined it, sticking her head into the small space, "you told me you didn't know these people Tee".

Tegan sighed, technically she didn't know who they were at the time of boarding so she hadn't lied to her friend. She considered what to tell Amy for a few moments but decided that the truth was probably the best option, no matter how ridiculous it sounded. "Amy this is an old friend of mine, the Doctor", she began, "I didn't recognise her because she's changed a fair amount since the last time I saw her". That was an understatement Tegan snorted mentally, "This is her friend Clara", the brunette waived, "as for the snakes", she took a deep breath before launching into her tale about killer snakes loose on the plane. At the end of the story neither Amy nor First Officer Hills called her crazy which was a good sign. The big problem was curing Captain Gilchrist and finding somewhere to safely land the plane before the snakes struck again.


	27. 9: Enemies Exposed

_Chapter 6 – Enemies Exposed  
_

Several thousand light years and hundreds of years away from the drama abroad the Trans-Pacific flight, Jenny was having a relaxing afternoon on the planet Macadia. Honouring her promise to Elliott McKenzie, she had been paying a few visits to the planet. Over the last couple of weeks when she declined to go on a trip with her mother and Clara, Jenny had used her vortex manipulator to sneak off to the planet.

Things had changed dramatically for the country of Estrados since the attempted heist on the Presidential vault and the removal of Armando Espanoza from power. Around five months had passed since that day and just a few weeks ago, the dictator had been sentenced to life imprisonment on a number of charges. If the country's rumour mill was to be believed, Espanoza and General Jackson were sharing a cell in a maximum security prison. Cristiano Da Costa had taken his rightful place as President and his first order of business was to sell off some of the more valuable items in the vault to help boost his country's economy.

Wondering the streets again, Jenny felt extremely happy and content. The damage to the timeline had been healed and she had a feeling that Estrados was about to enter a golden age. That wasn't the only reason for her happiness though. During her visits she had been spending a lot of time in the company of Elliott.

Today they were strolling hand in hand through one of the larger parks in the centre of the city. Things were simple with Elliott, they were just a man and woman out to enjoy each other's company. For a few short hours, Jenny could forget about her responsibilities as a Time Lady and be a normal young woman. Deep down she knew things couldn't last, all being well Jenny could live for hundreds if not thousands of years. A long term relationship between the pair would never work but that didn't mean they couldn't live in the moment.

"This has been nice", Elliott commented as they headed off the main path and into the trees at the edge of the park, "are you sure the Doctor doesn't mind you coming here by yourself?"

"I told you, stop worrying about Mum", Jenny sighed, "now that I've turned off the earpieces, she'll never know I snuck away instead of doing my homework". The young Time Lady watched as Elliott blanched at the homework comment. Sometimes she forgot how uncomfortable talking about her pseudo Time Lord Academy work like it was High School could be. "Just relax alright", Jenny smiled and gently smoothed out Elliott's military style jacket, "Mum knows that I have a life away from the TARDIS".

"Yes but does she know that you stole her TARDIS to come visit me", Elliott pointed at the blue box hidden amongst the trees. The ancient time ship stood out against the dull browns of the trees, like a beacon in the dark.

Jenny smiled and placed her cool hand against his cheek, "You worry too much". She was about to lean forward and kiss him when her pocket began to ring. Groaning loudly she fumbled around with her leather jacket until she pulled out a smartphone that Clara had brought her when the Time Lady had lived in the teacher's flat. The red head had modified it extensively including adding universal roaming to the device. She checked the caller ID and immediately froze, "It's Mum", she said, staring the phone in her hand.

"See I told you she'd know", Elliott hissed, "you'd better answer it, unless you really want to be in trouble".

The young Time Lady steeled herself for a few moments, considering what to tell her mother. Lying wouldn't do any good, the Doctor was far too good at finding out the truth to fool for a made up story. Taking a deep breath she wiped her finger across the screen but before she could say anything, a voice cut her off, _"Where the hell are you?"_ the Doctor bellowed, _"you're not responding over the earpiece and I know for a fact you're not on the TARDIS"._

"Hello to you too mother", Jenny replied as evenly as she could, "am I allowed to speak in my defence?"

" _No",_ came the Doctor's curt response, _"we've got a serious situation and I need your help. Get back onboard my TARDIS and call me back"._ There was silence for a few moments, making Jenny wonder if her mother had hung up, _"Oh and say hello to Elliott for me"._ This time there was a definite click as the call was terminated. Jenny pinched the bridge of her nose, she was going to be in so much trouble for this later on.

"Well that could've gone better", Jenny heard Elliott say from over her shoulder, "at least you weren't grounded", he attempted to joke.

"Not yet anyway", Jenny inched a little closer, "I probably should go, I don't want to make her any angrier". The Time Lady gently stroked Elliott's cheek before kissing him gently. Jenny allowed the warm feelings to wash over her, this would keep her going until the next time she could return to Estrados. If the Doctor had anything to say about her little excursion today, that might not be for a very long time. The couple grasped each others hands, reluctant to let the other go. Eventually their fingers untangled and Jenny slowly backed herself into the TARDIS. She allowed herself one final lingering gaze until she slowly closed the doors to the time ship.

Almost the moment the door slammed shut, Jenny felt her temper rise. The Doctor might be in the middle of a serious situation but that didn't mean she had to embarrass her in front of Elliott. She might be young in comparison but she wasn't a child either. Reaching the console, Jenny slammed her phone into a special port which allowed her to speak through the time ship's communication system. Seconds later the Doctor's face along with Clara's appear on the main screen above the console, "That was out of order", Jenny snapped, "I'm perfectly entitled to see who I want, when I want".

For a brief second, Jenny left a wave of annoyance coming through the familial bond they shared but the Doctor reined that in quickly. She wasn't happy though, Jenny didn't need a telepathic connection to know that, "Yes but you could've at least told me", the older Time Lady began, "what if something happen to you? Without the TARDIS I wouldn't be able to come and help or even know where you were". Jenny chose to remain silent, her mother did make a good point, "We'll talk about this later, we've got a problem and I need you to bring us some Eusebian snake anti-venom".

Jenny frowned in confusion, "Mum you're on a plane thousands of feet above the Earth and yet you still managed to find trouble". The red head shook her head, how her mother managed to reach two thousand years old was beyond her. Jenny just hoped that she wasn't as much of a trouble magnet as her mother.

"Yeah tell me about it", Clara grumbled from her position beside the older Time Lady, drawing a small smile from Jenny.

"Don't go ganging up on me again", the Doctor snapped, "I keep the anti venoms underneath the console in case of emergencies. I'll stay on the line until you've found the right one.

Jenny groaned, she hated searching underneath the console. The metal grates around the hexagonal desk all lifted up to give access to the central cortex and the vast array of wires that kept the ship going. The downside was that due to the suspended nature of the console, going below the floor meant looking straight into the dark expanse that surrounded the structure. Jenny wasn't afraid of heights but even she still got vertigo whenever she entered the space.

Her first job was to set the ship in flight, the closer she was to her final destination the smoother her jump would be. Setting the co-ordinates for Australia in the late 1980's, Jenny put the ship into flight before moving to the access grate. Lifting it up, Jenny couldn't help but marvel at the vast tangle of cables underneath the console. Twisting her body she slid into the crawl space, gently placing her feet on the clear Perspex floor.

The red head wasn't the tallest person but even she struggled to move around in the tight space. Resolving to talk to her mother about the placing emergency supplies in such a hard to reach place later, Jenny began her search for the anti venom. The TARDIS seemed to sense her need as a small light followed her around until she encountered a small metal box embossed with the universal symbol for a hospital. Opening up the box, Jenny encountered hundreds of small vials etched with tiny symbols. The liquids were all the same colour and there was no obvious way to distinguish them, "Which one is it?" she called out, hoping the Doctor could still hear her.

"They're labelled using High Gallifreyan", came the older Time Lady's muffled response, "just find the one marked Eusebian Black Cobra".

"You make it sound so simple", Jenny grumbled. Once again she resolved to update the emergency supplies so it could be read by anyone, not just those who had an understating of Gallifreyan. Her own knowledge of the language wasn't that great yet. She knew enough to understand the TARDIS controls but she wouldn't call herself fluent.

After a tense couple of minutes, Jenny noticed the symbol for the planet Eusebia on one of the tube. Rolling it over in her hand, there was also the symbol for black. The last symbol looked vaguely like the one for snake, this had to be the right one, "I've got it", Jenny called out and slowly started backing out of the crawl space.

"Good work Jenny", the Doctor replied, "teleport to co-ordinates Rosco Beta two nine six Green. Be quick though we're moving quickly, if you take too long then we won't be there".

The young Time Lady squeezed out of the tiny space, grumbling under her breath. Pulling her phone out of the slot, she then tugged on the idle switch for the TARDIS. This would stabilise her co-ordinates for the return journey. Placing her phone the anti-venom into her pocket, she plugged the Doctor's position into her vortex manipulator and slapped her hand against the central button.

In a flash of light she disappeared from the TARDIS and landed with a thud in a chair with a light blue covering. Having never been on airborne transport from this era before, Jenny wasn't sure that she had arrived in the right place. Seconds later she was pulled to her feet by a familiar looking brunette, "Nice entrance", Clara chuckled, "and I thought Time Lords did everything perfectly".

"You try completing a jump across hundreds of light years and then ask me that again", Jenny grumbled. Getting a good look around the cabin for the first time, the red head noticed that all the seats in this section were empty. The only exception was one next to the cockpit that had been fully reclined and contained a very sickly looking man. There was a curtain immediately behind Jenny that had been barricade with a mountain of bags and cases easily the height of the Time Lady, "That's not a normal feature of human planes, right?" Jenny asked, pointing at the case.

"No, that's the only way we could think of to keep the snakes at bay", Clara replied.

Jenny nodded but it took a few seconds for Clara's words to sink in, "Hang on, did you just say snakes?" Clara nodded in confirmation, "there are snakes on this plane?"

Before Clara could answer that question, the cases moved slightly and two women dressed in uniform squeezed through, "Clara is everything alright, we heard voices", the one with short brown hair asked. Her eyes then locked onto Jenny, "Oh hello, you must be Jenny, the one the Doctor sent for", the brunette extended her hand, "I'm Tegan and this is my colleague Amy".

The young Time Lady shook the familiar looking woman's hand. Suddenly her identity came to her in a flash of inspiration, "Hang on, you're Tegan Jovanka aren't you? The one who travelled with the cricketer Doctor?"

"Erm, yeah", Tegan replied nervously, "how did you know that?"

"Oh Mum's talked about you before", Jenny began, "quite a few times actually, usually to warn me about wearing appropriate clothing when venturing outside the TARDIS". The red head noticed the startled look on the flight attendant's face, "She hasn't told you that I'm her daughter has she?" Tegan stiffly shook her head, "Surprise", Jenny added with a weak smile.

"Jenny there you are", the Doctor called out from the cockpit doorway. Noticing the tense atmosphere in the cabin, the older Time Lady hesitated before continuing, "Did I miss something?"

"No but I think you did", Clara spoke up for Tegan and Jenny, "can you give the anti venom to the Captain so we can land this tin can somewhere?"

The group moved down the cabin towards the stricken Captain with Jenny and Amy bringing up the rear of the convoy. Jenny could feel the Asian woman staring weirdly in her direction, "So if you're the Doctor daughter, does that make you an alien too?" the flight attendant asked.

Jenny thought that was an unusual question but then again, who was she to judge how humans reacted in this situation, "Yeah I am, is that a problem?"

"No not at all", Amy said slowly, "this is a lot to take in. A few hours ago I didn't know aliens existed now I've found out that my best friend travelled around the universe with one and had a second teleport themselves onto a plane in the middle of the sky". Jenny smiled, at least Amy seemed to be taking it in her stride.

Suddenly something triggered Jenny's soldier senses, something dangerous was coming their way. Fearful it was a snake, she stared intently at the pile of bags but was slightly relieved to see a male passenger coming their way. The danger was still coming though and instinctively she held Amy back from speaking to this passenger, "Ah, the gang's all here", the man spoke smoothly, "this is excellent news".

"Who are you?" Jenny asked, still picking a weird vibe off this man. Her senses were telling her that he wasn't just a danger but had also travelled in time on multiple occasions. The man was tall with short dark hair and dull green eyes. Perhaps his most striking feature was the long grey coat that looked very out of place in this part of the world. It was then that she saw something familiar on his left wrist, "That's a vortex manipulator".

The man smiled darkly, "Very good young Time Lord", he reached into his coat and pulled out something else Jenny found familiar, a Sonic Blaster, "Now be a good girl and fetch your mother, we've got some business to discuss". Jenny leaned protectively against Amy, wishing that she had stayed on Macadia with Elliott.


	28. 9: Terror At 37,000 Feet

_Chapter 7 – Terror At 37,000 Feet_

The Doctor had nearly reached the prone body of Captain Gilchrist when she felt a twinge of panic emanating from her daughter. Instantly her senses were fully alert, ready to deal with any impeding danger. Reaching out she was expecting to feel something snake related coming from Jenny's direction, however, her daughter's panic was centred on a rather handsome looking man who had found his way into the deserted first class section of the plane. "Doctor, what's the matter", Clara said softly but the older Time Lady barely registered the words. Quick as a flash she turned around but was instantly stopped by a human shaped blockage in the form of Clara and Tegan. Deciding not to waste time but squeezing past them, the Doctor began clambering over the seats down the centre of the plane, "Doctor what's gotten into you?" the English teacher cried in panic.

A couple of stumbles later the Doctor had picked her way over the seats and had reached Jenny and Amy. Pushing the flight attendant to one side, the older Time Lady manoeuvred herself protectively in front of Jenny. Her eyes met the cold green eyes of the unwanted visitor and the Doctor glared at him fiercely. The dark haired man wasn't moved though, instead he found the whole situation rather amusing, "Isn't that cute", he began with a mocking tone, "so quick to protect your engineered spawn".

For a few seconds the raven haired woman was shocked into silence that this man would know about Jenny's unorthodox creation. A cursory inspection of the man told her that he was human, not a single trace of alien about his presence. There was something floating around him though, chronoton particles and lots of them. The older Time Lady could only draw one conclusion from their presence, "A time traveller", she began coolly, "here on a plane that's potentially infested with deadly snakes from another world". She inched a little closer to the man, "Some would say that reflects badly on you".

"He's wearing a Vortex Manipulator", Jenny whispered bravely positioning herself a step or so behind the Doctor.

The man smirked with amusement, "Old age hasn't dulled your mind then Doctor, they thought you would be a little slower than you used to be".

"Erm hi", Clara waived at the stranger, "do you two know each other, old boyfriend or something?" The Doctor turned her glare towards her companion, "What, it's a legitimate question".

"No Clara Oswald I don't know the Doctor or any of you personally", the man paused briefly before adding, "but I have been keeping track of your progress over the last few weeks".

The Doctor's mind began to whirl once again. Her Time Lord senses had told her a few useful things about this man but perhaps it was time to switch to more basic methods of deduction. A subtle whiff of the air later and she knew a lot more about the dark haired man that before. Her nasal hairs twitched as they were bombarded by an excess of pheromones that she had only encountered on one other person.

It was the Doctor's turn to smirk now, she had the upper hand back and she knew exactly how to throw him off balance, "By any chance do you know someone by the name of Jack Harkness?" That got an instant reaction from the stranger, his eye twitched involuntarily with what the Doctor presumed was anger. "Oh that got your attention", she continued, "let me guess, are you his brother?" No reaction from the man, "Maybe his friend?" another slight twitch but nothing serious. The Doctor was now in the invaders personal space and she whispered quietly, "Ooh I've got it, a jilted former lover".

"I would never touch that traitor if he was the last person on Earth", the stranger bellowed, shocking everyone in the cabin.

Internally the Time Lady was ecstatic, one simple outburst was enough for her to piece together who this man was. She also found his comment slightly ironic, with Captain Jack's immortality he very well could end up as the last man on Earth. "So Vortex Manipulator, fifty first century pheromones and a violent dislike of Captain Harkness", he paused and tapped her chin for dramatic effect, "that would make you a Time Agent, a rogue one at that".

The man looked stunned for a moment before his arrogant mask slipped back into place. He began to clap his hands together slowly, "Very good Doctor, they said you were good". He stopped clapping and bowed dramatically, "Gregor Edgely, loyal servant to the Time Agency until it was effective disbanded by Harkness's treachery".

"So what, you've gone free lance since then?" Jenny snapped. The Doctor knew her daughter and the immortal Captain were good friends. It was one small blessing of Jenny's pseudo relationship with Elliott McKenzie, it meant that Jack couldn't get his hands on her daughter. "You can't get back at Jack so you take it out on his friends", the red head added.

"I see the little one hasn't developed your critical thinking yet", Gregor hissed in the young Time Lady's direction.

The Doctor could feel Jenny's anger and placed her arm in front of the red head's chest to stop her from making a lunge. "I suggest keeping your tone civil towards my daughter", the Doctor said coolly, "if you know us as well as you claim then you'll know what she's capable of".

"Yes she is a little firecracker", Gregor replied with a lecherous grin, "my employer wasn't happy with the way she disposed of Lord Masato, he was a very useful pawn".

The older Time Lady's shifted on the spot in an attempt to hide her shock at the man's declaration. Had he been responsible for everything she had encountered since her regeneration? Before she could voice her thoughts, Clara beat her to it, "Masato was that guy you took down in ancient Japan right?" the dark haired Time Lady nodded, "does that mean you've been following the Doctor around since the very beginning?" the teacher added in Edgely direction.

"The time bubble in twenty first century London, the mind altering potion in Japan, that was down to you?" Jenny picked up where Clara had left off.

The rogue Time Agent chuckled dryly, "I would like to claim credit but I'm just the hired muscle for my employers". She looked a little closer at Jenny, "I did tell General Jackson where to find you though", he continued, "unfortunately he did fancy himself as a showman. He should've put a bullet in your head when he had the chance".

"Last warning Edgely", the Doctor snapped, her anger towards the man bubbling over violently, "I don't like violence but sometime even I think it's deserved".

"I wouldn't do that if I were you Doctor", Gregor held up his Sonic Blaster, "one small hole in this antique rust bucket will suck you out the big blue sky".

"But that would kill you too", Tegan spoke up for the first time since Gregor had made himself known.

"Ah the hostess speaks", Gregor snorted, "I didn't choose this flight by accident Tegan, I knew you'd be onboard. Enticing the Doctor was one thing but getting to eliminate one of her faithful companions is an added bonus". His eyes turned cold as they glared towards the older Time Lady, "You're too sentimental Doctor, you would never allow any harm to come to your companions or innocent civilians would you?"

The Doctor was reluctant but she had to agree with Gregor. If the Time Agent managed to pierce the fuselage then the plane would fall out the sky in a matter of minutes. Jenny might be able to teleport a few of them away with her Vortex Manipulator but the majority of the passengers onboard would be doomed. Gregor only had himself to worry about and he would be gone the second he discharged his weapon. Nodded gently towards Jenny, the red head reluctantly conceded this round and backed away, "Alright so you got me", the Doctor began, "what's the end game Gregor?"

"Money and power, that's what it's usually about", Tegan snorted angrily.

"Right again Tegan", Gregory clapped sarcastically, "and to think I labelled you an air headed bimbo". It took all of the Doctor's will power but she kept a lid on her temper, a psycho with a gun onboard a plane wasn't to be taken lightly. "With another mission successfully completed my m-". Suddenly Gregor slashed downwards towards the ground. There was a soft thud followed by a strangled hiss of a dying creature, "There, that takes care of all three of the snakes", he stated, "I should thank you Doctor for taking care of the other two". In the middle of the aisle was one of the missing Eusebian snakes and it was impaled with a large hunting knife.

The Doctor frowned, she had taken out the one in the hold but the one from the cockpit had gotten away, or so she thought. She glanced around at her companions and gave them a gentle shake of the head. If Gregor thought all of the snakes were dead then that was his choice. She did curse that snake's timing though, he was just about to reveal some information about these mysterious employers of his. She had to keep him talking, maybe he could be goaded into another verbal slip, "Surely your employer won't be happy that you've lost three rare and valuable snakes", the Doctor began, "won't look good on your resume".

"Ah the snakes were all my own idea", Gregor stated, "I was only ordered to eliminate someone close to you and cause as much damage as possible". He slowly raised his Blaster and began pointing it around the room, "Now then who shall it be, I don't think this weapon has enough power to kill a Time Lord". He aimed the blaster towards Clara, "No my employers have plans for this one". With a fake apologetic sigh he moved the weapon towards Tegan and Amy, "I guess I'll stick to my original plan, this is a little more hands on than I wanted but beggars can't be choosers".

The Doctor wanted nothing more than to demand that Gregor point the blaster back in her direction. This lunatic and his employers were after her so it only felt right that she was on the end of his threats. At that moment the Doctor noticed a dark shadow moving down from a light fixture above Gregor's head. It was the final Black Cobra snake, the rogue Time Agent had been wrong, there was still one left alive.

The older Time Lady's knowledge of languages came in handy again. She could understand what the snake was hissing and knew that it wasn't happy with Gregor. She snorted with laughter, drawing Gregor's attention back towards her, "I fail to see what's funny Doctor".

"For a Time Agent you're pretty thick Gregor", she smirked, "firstly your entire plot today relied on a trio of wild snakes. For all you knew they could've stayed in the hold and now moved until this plane got to Sydney".

"A possibility I'll admit but it seems that things have fallen in my favour Doctor", he spat the last word with distain.

The Doctor shook her head, "I wouldn't be so sure", she began. Out the corner of her eye she could see the snake inching closer to Gregor's neck, "Jack told me one thing about the Time Agency, their golden rule was to maintain vigilance at all times". She paused to buy some more time, "but I think they added one more".

"Oh and what's that?" Gregory sniffed.

"They really should've taught their Agent's how to count properly", before Gregor could respond, the snake bite down hard into his neck, drawing a loud cry of pain from the Time Agent. Jenny brushed past the Doctor and disarmed Gregor before he could pull the trigger. The dark haired Agent pulled frantically on the snake but it refused to release its death grip, "I'm sorry about this Agent Edgely but you didn't leave me any choice", she stated with a sad and resigned sigh.

The Doctor watched helplessly as the Eusebian snake pumped it venom directly into Gregor's veins. Judging by the position of the snake, it had latched directly onto his jugular. The deadly toxin would've made its way around his system in a matter of seconds. Gregor seemed to know it as well based on the resigned look in his eyes. The Agent sunk to his knees, the snake still firmly attached to his flesh, "I'll see you in heaven Doctor", he gasped with a wild smile on his face. Moments later he began to convulse and froth at the mouth. He crashed to the floor face first, he body spasming involuntarily before his heart beat its last.

The snake must've sensed that its prey was dead as it gently detached itself from Gregor's neck and slithered off back into the roof of the plane. There was a stunned silence in the cabin as every stared at the body of Agent Edgely, "Couldn't you have done something Doctor?" Amy asked softly, "you had the anti-venom?"

"That's for Captain Gilchrist", the Time Lady replied with a cool edge to her voice, "we need him health to save the lives of everyone on board". She shook her head, her gaze still on the fallen Agent who was just another casualty of her journey through time and space. "The venom when straight into his jugular vein and would've been pumped around his body so quickly that the anti-venom wouldn't have done any good".

"The bite of the Eusebian probably would've torn his jugular apart", Jenny added, "if the snake had released him then he probably would've died from blood loss".

"Small comfort", Tegan mumbled, "we should check on the passengers, they would've heard the commotion". She gently led Amy away into the coach section, making sure to steer as far away from the body as possible.

As the Doctor watched Tegan leave, a heavy feeling gripped her hearts. It was days like this that had driven the Australian away and now she had been thrown back into the whirlwind that was the Doctor's life. She could see the pain on Tegan's face and it hurt the Time Lady to think that she was the cause of most of it. "Things will get better between you two", Clara tried to reassure the Time Lady, "at least we don't have to worry about this stalker anymore".

"That's of very small comfort to me right now Clara", the Doctor sighed, "but I appreciate the sentiment".

"What do you think he meant when he said 'see you in heaven?'" Clara asked, "normally they would say see you in hell".

"No idea", the Doctor shrugged, "the rantings of a madman in his death throws probably". Something was gnawing away at the Time Lady though, she felt like she had won a battle towards but the wider war with Gregor Edgely's employers had yet to begin.


	29. 9: Reconciliation

_Chapter 8 - Reconciliation_

There was a sense of calm in the first class cabin. The body of Gregor Edgely had been tucked into the far end of the section, as far away from the rest of the passengers as possible. After being thoroughly searched for anything useful, the rouge Time Agent's body had been covered with his coat. Despite Tegan's best effort she couldn't help but stare at the grey blob. She couldn't take her mind off the final moments of the psychopath. Gregor Edgely might not have been a good person but the manner of his death was horrifying, especially for someone with a fear of snakes.

The Australian along with Amy was taking a quick break from the other passengers. It wasn't very often they got to sit down during a flight, almost never in first class. There wasn't too much for them to do other than keep the passengers calm. The Doctor had called off the search for the final Eusebian snake fairly quickly. The creature had gotten into the guts of the plane and short of hacking away at the panels, they weren't going to get it out in a hurry. Instead she had used Gregor's discarded Vortex Manipulator to return to the TARDIS to begin work on a contingency plan. The biggest fear now was that the rogue snake would chew through a vital flight control. The Time Lady wanted to be ready in case of an extreme emergency.

Tegan hadn't seen Jenny for a while, last she heard the younger Time Lady was up front with First Officer Hills making sure the junior pilot was coping with the increased work load. Captain Gilchrist's life wasn't in any danger but he wasn't responding to the anti venom as quickly as they hoped. Unfortunately the flight path took them between Perth on the western coast of Australia and Darwin in the north of the country, leaving First Officer Hills with the tricky decision of which airport to land the plane. Since they were already crossing the northern section of Western Australia, turning back to Perth seemed counterproductive so they were pushing on to Darwin.

"Been a long day", Amy commented idly as she watched the barren desert of the Australian outback from the window, "is life with the Doctor always like this?"

"Not every day", Tegan replied, "some days the fate of the universe rests on your shoulders". Tegan didn't mean to sound so glib but compared to some of her past adventures, only having to protect a hundred or so people seemed like a walk in the park. "You seem to be coping well", the brunette continued, "much better than I used to".

"Still in shock I think", Amy shrugged and turned slightly towards Tegan, "I'm not mad that you kept this from me, if I hadn't seen it for myself I wouldn't have believed you anyway".

Tegan offered her a small smile in response. Truthfully she hadn't considered that Amy had been annoyed with her, she had been too focused on staying alive to think about much else. "If our friendship can survive killer alien snakes then I think we'll be set for life", she continued, grasping Amy's hand firmly.

"Aww I love a happy ending", Tegan and Amy were startled by the sound of Jenny's voice. The red head had snuck up on them and was perched on the seat in front, looking over the head rest at them, "don't get too many of them I'm afraid to say".

Once Tegan's heart had slowed down to an acceptable level, she was able to respond to Jenny, "I won't consider this ending happy until we're safely on the ground".

"Aren't you the gloomy one", Jenny replied with a smile, "from the stories Mum told me, you were full of life during your travels".

"Yes but that was a long time ago", Tegan snapped a little harsher than she was intending, startling both Jenny and Amy. For a few moments Tegan felt the gaze of the young Time Lady staring intently in her direction. The Australian wondered what was going on inside Jenny mind and seconds later she got an answer. The red head slipped off her Vortex Manipulator before grabbing Tegan by the arm, "Hey what's the big idea?" Tegan cried.

"I'm meddling", Jenny replied, attaching the Manipulator firmly to Tegan's arm. She lifted the flap and checked the co-ordinates, "This will take you to the TARDIS, you and Mum need to have a good talk in private".

"I can't leave the plane", Tegan stated, she didn't want to let on but secretly she wasn't too fond of the idea of being trapped in the TARDIS with the older Time Lady, "what about the passengers?"

"I can take care of them", Amy offered. Internally Tegan groaned, she really didn't want to go but Amy's offer made it hard for her to refuse, "You knew the Doctor for years, you should patch things up with her. You never know if you'll get another chance".

Tegan had to concede that point, it had been five years since she had seen the Doctor and a hell of a lot longer from the Time Lady's perspective. She might never get another chance to air her feelings towards the dark haired woman or whichever incarnation followed should she regenerate. With the intense gaze of Jenny and Amy fixed firmly on her, Tegan felt like she didn't have much choice, "Fine, how do I operate this thing?" she stated, waiving the Manipulator in the air.

Jenny smiled at her broadly and pointed at a red button next to the main screen, "That one there, Mum will show you how to get back when you're done". Tegan nodded and gently pushed the indicated button, "I'd better warn you, travelling this way-".

The Australian never heard the rest of that sentence as the Vortex Manipulator activated. Every single molecule of Tegan's body felt like it had been compressed, squeezed into a tiny cube. It felt like an eternity but really it was only a second later that she crash landed on to a cold metal grate. She was disorientated, wondering if she had landed in the correct place. She was pretty sure that the TARDIS didn't have a metal grate in the main console room. Panic began to grip the flight attendant, what if Jenny's calculations had been incorrect and she wasn't in the TARDIS at all?

She felt a couple of strong hands lift her up underneath the armpits and began to struggle against the grip. It wasn't until they spoke that she began to calm down, "Tegan it's alright, it's only me", the Doctor stated calmly.

"Doctor?" Tegan shook her head to clear a few cobwebs, "that was the worst experience of my life".

"Travelling by Vortex Manipulator, of course it is", the Doctor scoffed, "cheap and nasty, that's what those things are". Tegan felt the Time Lady's gaze on her and shifted awkwardly, "What are you doing here, I thought you'd want to stay on the plane?"

"I did but Jenny decided to meddle", Tegan snorted and the older Time Lady nodded, reluctantly, in agreement. Now that the effects of her teleportation were beginning to wear off, Tegan finally got a chance to take in her surroundings. If it wasn't for the TARDIS console and time rotor directly beside her, she never would've guessed she was onboard the time ship. Gone were the stark white walls, and in their place was a burnt copper and silver colouring. Parts of the TARDIS console itself seemed to be made out of brass, making it feel like a beaten up steam train, "Wow, this is new", Tegan gasped.

The Doctor patted the console gently, "Got a little bored of basic white, too many negative memories of that old scheme". Tegan watched as the Time Lady shuffled over to a makeshift workbench she had set up on the console. Sitting in the middle was another Vortex Manipulator, the one she assumed used to belong to Gregor Edgely.

Tegan watched in silence for several minutes as the Doctor pulled apart various wires inside the device and began to reconnect them in different position. She used her sonic screwdriver to weld a couple of new pieces together, sending a flash of sparks into the air. Tegan was so fascinated watching the Time Lady work that she almost forgot why she had come over to the TARDIS in the first place. She decided to keep the conversation light to begin with, not wishing to blindside the Doctor whilst she was working, "So what will this do?" she asked gently.

Without looking up from the console, the Doctor replied, "I'm trying to utilise the natural temporal energy in the Manipulator so create a buffer in the event of the plane crash. Essentially once activated, it'll nudge everything within its electrical field forward in time by a few seconds. In theory by jumping everyone forward in time, they will avoid the worst of the damaging forces inflicted by an impact with the ground". She twisted her head and looked directly at Tegan, "With me so far?"

The Australian's eyes had glazed over, some of the words had gone it but not enough for them to make sense. Not wanting to offend the Doctor she nodded slowly ,"Absolutely, please continue".

The Doctor smiled stiffly and placed her screwdriver back onto the console, "Tegan you're good at many things but an expert in temporal engineeing you're not". She turned around to face Tegan and leaned gently against the console, "Clearly you want to talk about something so let's talk".

Tegan wasn't expecting an open invitation and wasn't really prepared when the statement came. There were many questions running through her head, so many that she didn't really know where to start. She wrung her hands together nervously as she started to speak, "Clara said it's been over thirteen hundred years for you since we last met".

"Give or take a few decades, that sounds about right", the Doctor nodded in agreement.

"Why?" Tegan surprised herself with the bluntness of her question, so much so that she didn't speak again for several seconds. "Why did you leave it so long, were you angry with me?"

Tegan waited nervously as she watched the Time Lady mull over her question in silence. Clearly this was just as awkward for the Doctor as it was for her, "Before I answer that, would you stand on the walkway over there". Tegan frowned but did as the Doctor instructed, taking a position halfway between the console and the main doors. The Time Lady flicked a switch and the top section of the time rotor lit up. Turning slowly around the glass cylinder was a giant brass ring several inches in thickness. Etched into the metal were several circular patterns, "Those are the names of all of my companions written in High Gallifreyan", the Doctor declared, "you name should be coming up any time soon".

The flight attendant watched as the etching moved slowly, wondering which one was hers, "There's it is", the Doctor pointed it out. Tegan smiled broadly, she couldn't understand the language but she understood the sentiment, "I like to remember everyone who's graced this magnificent ship and I hope you don't think you're less important than anyone else up there".

"Wow, that's a lot of people", Tegan gasped as the symbols seemed to go on and on.

"I've truly been blessed", the Doctor began, "and perhaps it's only now that I'm beginning to realise that". Tegan slowly began to walk slowly back towards the console, she could sense the sadness in the Time Lady's voice at a distance though. "The two men that came after the cricketer, they weren't my favourite incarnations", the Time Lady continued, "too brash, too arrogant and in the case of umbrella man, too manipulative. I'm glad that I didn't return when I was him, you would've thought a lot less of me".

"That can't be true Doctor", Tegan admonished the raven haired woman, surprised at the self depreciation shown, "I'm sure they were great men in their own way".

The Doctor smiled in appreciation, "I guess they were, each of us did have their own way of doing things". Silence fell on the two women briefly, not overly uncomfortable but Tegan was glad when the Doctor spoke again, "You made the right choice, it took me a while to understand that but you were right". The Time Lady chewed her lip before adding, "Maybe a few others should've been brave as you were".

Tegan allowed that comment to hang, the Doctor could've been talking about anyone but one name came to mind, "Adric?"

"Amongst others", the Time Lady sighed, "his death shaped the person I am today. At first I thought controlling everything was the way to go but I found out the hard way when another companion left that this method wasn't right either. Then the Time War came", Tegan raised her eyebrow in surprise, she couldn't imagine the Doctor fighting in a war, "for a long time I believe I had wiped out two civilisations, the Daleks and the Time Lords". The brunette couldn't contain her gasp, a war where the Doctor had destroyed not just the Daleks but her own people. She didn't have to be a mind reader to feel the damage this war had caused to the Time Lady's psyche. It was written all over her face and Tegan had seen it from the moment the Doctor had walked onto the plane.

Shifting a little closer to the Doctor, Tegan continued to listen intently to the alien woman, "After the war was over I didn't feel like visiting familiar faces. I was a coward really, I didn't want them to know that I had committed genocide. It was easier to reject and forget than admit to anyone what I had done". The Doctor straightened herself up and Tegan noticed her visibly relax, "All that torment was for nothing in the end though".

"What do you mean Doctor?" Tegan asked.

"In some form or another, the Daleks are still out there, depleted and weakened but not extinct", the Time Lady couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice when talking about her mortal enemies. "Gallifrey and the Time Lords survived too, turns out that instead of destroying them I saved them by trapping them in a pocket universe". Tegan couldn't tell if the Doctor saw this as a good thing, even the Time Lady's expression seemed ambivalent towards the fate of the Time Lords. "Four hundred years I held onto that guilt and even now I can't check and see that everyone is safe on Gallifrey".

"You want forgiveness", Tegan summarised, "why can't you go to Gallifrey and see for yourself?"

The Doctor snorted bitterly, "I don't know where it is, the procedure made sure that the Daleks couldn't locate the planet, unfortunately that meant I couldn't find it either. I've spent months fruitlessly searching but I've barely even scratched the surface".

After hearing the Doctor's story, Tegan suddenly felt that her issues were not as important as she thought. The Doctor hadn't just been ignoring her all this time, instead she and her previous incarnations had been dealing with issues that she could barely comprehend. She wanted to say some words of comfort but nothing seemed appropriate enough to cover what the Time Lady had been going through. Suddenly she had a flash of inspiration. Shuffling as close as she dared to the Time Lady, she grasped her hand firmly and whispered softly, "Brave heart Doctor", mirrors the words the Fifth Doctor said to her when she felt at her lowest.

For a brief moment the Doctor looked close to tears but she managed to smile weakly and squeeze Tegan's hand back. To Tegan this is what true friendship felt like, arguments can be forgiven with just a few words, "Now this is something you are definitely good are Tegan Jovanka", the Doctor gave her a watery smile, "somehow you just know the right words to cheer everyone up".

Smiling at the praise from the Time Lady, the Australian thought it was a good time to move the conversation away from the past and back into the present, "That man on the plane, he said he was working for someone", the Doctor nodded in response, "any idea who it is?"

"Several, all of them possible and yet as unlikely as the other", the Doctor sighed, "I've lived a long time Tegan and I've made a lot of enemies. Whoever Agent Edgely's employer is they have advanced knowledge of quantum physics, bioengineering and time travel." Once again the Time Lady went silent, retreating back into her thoughts briefly, "I feel like I'm playing a game of chess across time and space, only I have absolutely no idea who my opponent is".

"You'll figure it out Doctor, you always did", Tegan replied with an unshakable confidence in the Time Lady.

The moment was interrupted by a ringing noise from the console. The Doctor released her grip on Tegan's hand and pushed a yellow button on the desktop. Pulling a screen around, the pair saw a visibly terrified Clara, "Doctor you have to come quick", the school teacher gasped. They could barely hear her over the sound of klaxons and alarms over the speaker. Judging by the panel in the back of the image, Clara was standing on the flight deck, "The controls are failing, I think we're going to crash", she added.

"I'm on my way", the Doctor said with purpose and quickly shut off communication. She grabbed the spare Vortex Manipulator and placed it into her jacket pocket. Reaching over the Manipulator on Tegan's wrist, her fingers became a blur over the controls, "Are you ready to be brave Tegan?" The flight attendant wasn't sure if the Doctor was referring to the impending teleportation or the plane that was potentially crashing. She nodded stiffly in response though and in a flash of light, the pair departed back to the stricken plane that was on a collision course with the Australian outback.


	30. 9: Crash Landing

_Chapter 9 – Crash Landing  
_

Tegan and the Doctor teleported back onto the plane and almost immediately, there were thrown into the row of seats to their right. Several different sounds were intermingling with each other, the panicked screams of over a hundred people, the blaring alarms from the cockpit and the unmistakable sound of Jenny swearing very loudly. "We're in a dive", Tegan cried over the din, "banking significantly to the right as well".

"Really", the Time Lady spat back sarcastically, battling against gravity which wanted to pull her to the right, "I never would've guessed". The pair used the seat immediately in front of them to haul themselves towards the cockpit. On the way they passed the stricken Captain Gilchrist who was still lying down in one of the first class seats. He looked a lot healthier than earlier but he was in no condition to take command of his plane.

Inside the cockpit Jenny was seated in the vacant pilots chair and along with First Officer Hills, they were fighting desperately to correct the sharp bank angle of the plane. Clara and Amy were trying to stand behind them but like the Doctor and Tegan, they were struggling to maintain their footing. "Doctor, good timing", Clara said breathlessly, "a little help would be greatly appreciated", she added in her usual understated fashion.

The Time Lady had a look at the flight instruments and immediately noticed the problem, the plane's hydraulic fluid tanks were completely empty. The jumbo jet made use of hydraulic systems to move important flight controls like the ailerons and the tail rudder. When one of the pilots pushed on the pedals of the stick, hydraulic fluid would travel around some narrow tubes and move the external flight controls into the correct position to keep the plane in the air. Without any fluid, the rudder and ailerons were probably stuck in one position. No matter how much Jenny and First Officer Hills moved the stick, the external systems would never respond, "Total hydraulic failure", the Time Lady announced, "that bloody snake must've found its way into the flight controls".

"You don't say", Jenny replied through gritted teeth. Beads of sweat were forming on her forehead and it was taking all of her strength to keep the giant plane from falling into a downward spiral. A flash of annoyance travelled through the Time Lady's psychic link before the red head spoke again, "Rather than announcing the problem we already knew about, maybe you could fix it".

The Doctor flashed her daughter an angry glare as she retrieved her sonic screwdriver, "No need to get snippy", she snorted and quickly scanned the flight controls. She had been reluctant to do this earlier due to the possibility of interfering with the systems, however, since they were heading for ground anyway the Time Lady didn't have much to lose. The ailerons controls were badly damaged, not only had the snake chewed through the hydraulics but it had severed the link between the stick and the tail of the plane. Fortunately the rudder controls appeared to be in one piece, if she could send an electronic pulse down the control cable, it might move it into the correct position.

Pushing down on her sonic device, the Time Lady was relieved to feel the roll of the plane beginning to correct itself. Slowly but surely it moved back to the vertical, making everyone feel a little more comfortable, "Alright Doctor that will do", First Officer Hills said. He tried to move the pedals but there was no further response, "Let's hope we don't need to make any course corrections", he added with a slightly panicked tone.

"Sorry skipper but the ailerons are stuck", the Doctor stated, "we're fixed on this rate of descent until we...", her voice tailed off. She didn't want to remind everyone that they were still falling out the sky towards the desert below.

The cockpit was a little calmer now that the terrifying roll of the plane had been corrected and it allowed First Officer Hills a couple of moments to assess the situation. The nose of the plane was down by a few degrees, not enough to be classified as a dive but steeper than would be required for a regular descent. There was no way to slow the plane down either as the hydraulic systems also controlled the wing flaps and slats, "Don't keep us in suspense", Amy began nervously, "what's the damage Steve?"

"Where to begin", the co-pilot sighed, "there's no airport for hundreds of miles and we're heading nose first towards the outback with no way to slow us down. I don't see how this situation could get any worse".

"Probably best you don't say that too loudly", Clara patted the man on the shoulder, "couldn't you zap the sonic against the controls again, try and get us out of this dive?" the school teacher asked the Doctor.

"If only it was that easy", the Doctor shook her head, "the aileron controls are totally severed. I would have to be right at the back of the plane to get any kind of movement out of them".

"That would be good to keep us going but would cause problems on landing", First Officer Hills replied. The Time Lady could see his mental cogs whirring, agonising over what decision to make. The lives of everyone onboard rested on his next words. "At the rate we're descending we'll be at sea level within ten minutes. I don't believe we're near any major towns of cities so let's prepare to ditch the plane where we can". He craned his head slightly towards the older Time Lady, "Doctor give us five minutes and then use that magic zapper of yours to adjust the ailerons slightly".

The older Time Lady nodded and prepared to leave the cockpit. She couldn't help but notice that Jenny hadn't moved, "I'm not going anywhere yet", the red head announced, sensing the question from her mother, "I've got some flying experience, that could prove useful to Steve here".

"I don't think a star fighter can compare to an antique like this", the Doctor reminded the younger Time Lady.

"Still more piloting experience than you", Jenny shot back, "Mum let me do this, I can handle this", she pleaded. Reluctantly the Doctor had to agree that the best place for Jenny right now was assisting First Officer Hills with the landing. It was a difficult decision to make, she didn't want Jenny to be at the front of a plane that was about to nose dive into the desert. She would have to put a lot of faith in the modifications made to the Vortex Manipulator to keep her safe.

Nodding stiffly and agreeing to Jenny's request, the Doctor raced out of the cockpit and headed towards the rear of the plane. On the way she passed Amy who was giving out last minute safety instructions towards the other passengers. The Time Lady's gaze lingered on the horror struck faces of the innocent bystanders in this temporal chess battle with her unknown enemy. They were just ordinary people out to enjoy a holiday in the sun or maybe even visit their family. There were young children amongst the number, one or two of them barely out of nappies. Their lives were under threat before they truly had a chance to begin. The Doctor vowed that no one else would die today, she would do everything in her power to keep them safe.

At the very rear of the plane the Doctor found Tegan and Clara waiting patiently. They were just a few feet from where the body of Adam Norris lay, still pinned inside the toilet where he had died. It didn't seem like it was just an hour ago that this crisis had begun to evolve. Sixty minutes ago Tegan didn't know that the Doctor was on the same plane as her. Now two companions from two different eras were working together to save these passengers lives. Tegan was the first to notice the Doctor and gave her a nervous smile, "Will that device of yours work Doctor?"

"What device?" Clara asked curiously. She had been too busy snake hunting earlier and wasn't fully aware of what the Time Lady was working on.

The Doctor pulled back the sleeve of her velvet jacket and flashed Agent Edgely's Vortex Manipulator, "This might be able to protect us from becoming a smear on the sand". She ignored the alarmed look from Clara and continued, "Love to explain but I believe that my five minutes are nearly up". The Time Lady nudged past the two women and began scanning the rear wall.

"Is she always like this?" Tegan whispered to Clara.

"With the impatience and the total lack of explanation, pretty much yeah", the teacher nodded, "it's an upgrade from her last regeneration thought. He would've thrown out phrases like 'spacey wacey thing' and left it at that".

"I can still hear you", the Time Lady snapped impatiently, "and if I ever use words like spacey wacey or timey wimey again, you have my permission to slap me". Sometimes the Doctor still got a few flashes or annoyance with the immaturity shown by some of her past incarnations. Maybe it was a coping mechanism from Ten and Eleven to help forget about the Time War and their involvement. Either way she wasn't going to be caught uttering such childish phrases. Not in front of Clara anyway, the school teacher would never let her live it down.

A quick flash of the sonic screwdriver and the Time Lady felt the ailerons move into a shallower position. Without being in the cockpit she had to guess on the correct position, hopefully that would be sufficient to avoid a complete nose dive into the ground. "I should probably find a seat and get ready", the Doctor reached out to the Vortex Manipulator on Tegan's arm, "I can send you two back to the TARDIS to ride this-".

"No, absolutely not", Tegan interrupted the Time Lady, "I have a duty to look after everyone on board. I'm not abandoning them now Doctor and you're not going to make me leave", she added defiantly.

For a brief second the Doctor thought about arguing but she knew Tegan too well and knew exactly how that would end. Instead she grabbed Tegan with both hands and kissed her on the forehead, "There's the Tegan Jovanka I remember", she said warmly, much to the delight of the flight attendant.

The Time Lady then turned her gaze towards Clara but the teacher was one step ahead of her, "Don't even think about sending me away", Clara stated, "if you and Jenny are staying then I'm staying. Someone has to keep you two out of trouble".

"You two are going to be the death of me", the Time Lady sighed, ignore the black humour of the situation. It would be a miracle if they came out of this in one piece, even if the modifications made to the Vortex Manipulator worked. The Doctor couldn't predict how far through time they would be thrown, if it was half a second then it was totally pointless and too far would leave them stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Moving back through the cabin the Doctor noticed that a strange calm had descended on the passengers. To her it felt like everyone had moved passed panic and denial and had now accepted the plane was going to crash. The Doctor moved through quickly, the depressing nature of a group of human accepting their impending death was too much for her to bear. She quickly caught Amy's eye as she strapped herself into her seat between the first class and economy section of the plane. Tegan firmly grasped her friends hand on the way through, hoping that it wouldn't be for the last time.

The Time Lady found three seats in first class and sat in the middle. She was close enough to the cockpit to call out to Jenny, "How much longer?"

"Less than thirty seconds to impact", Jenny's nervous voice called back, "Mum if we don't make it, I just wanted you to know that these last few months have been the best of my life".

"And you will have many more months, years and centuries to live yet Jenny". The Doctor swallowed deeply and remembered the last time she had been in a similar situation, only that time her Eighth incarnation had been on a crashing space freighter. It hadn't ended well for him and actually led to his death. Since it was extremely unlikely she would encounter the Sisterhood of Karn in the middle of Australia, the Doctor couldn't rely on someone bringing her back to life. "Jenny if something happens to me the TARDIS is yours", she added, "use it however you see fit, I think you're ready for the responsibility it carries".

There was silence but the Doctor could feel the warmth emanating from her daughter in the cockpit. There was no greater praise from the older Time Lady to essentially pass on her mantle of protector of time and the universe in the event of her death. "Ten seconds, everyone brace for impact", First Officer Hills called out over the tannoy.

The Doctor, Tegan and Clara assumed the brace position with the school teacher grasping the Time Lady's leg for support. The Doctor briefly squeezed back before glancing at the Vortex Manipulator on her wrist. She prayed to anyone who would listen that her idea would work before slamming her hand down on the activation button.

There was silence for a split second before a flash of blue light filled the plane, blocking out everything as the plane slammed nose first into the ground. It skipped across the sand once before the left wing tip dug in, sending the craft into a violent cartwheel at over two hundred miles an hour. The fragile fuselage tore itself to pieces with huge chunks littering the sands of the Australian outback. Finally the twist wreckage came to a halt several hundred metres from the impact spot. There was no sign of life coming from the wreckage.


	31. 9: Air Crash Investigation

_Chapter 10 – Air Crash Investigation_

The wreckage of the jumbo jet was silent and still, only the occasional light breeze disturbed the crash site. Several minutes had passed since the plane had nosedived into the Australian outback and the first rescuers were arriving on the scene. The crash site was near enough to a small settlement that the smash had alerted the local Police who immediately raced to the scene. When they arrived the wreckage was smouldering gently. The smell of jet fuel hung in the atmosphere and irritated the nostrils of anyone who approached the downed craft.

Due to the risk of fire, the first responders were reluctant to approach the wreckage. One thing that was obvious to them was the lack of movement inside the debris. There was no sign of the hundred and sixty eight passengers and crew emerging into the dusty desert. They could only draw one conclusion, everyone on board had perished in the impact.

An hour after the crash had been reported, the first investigators from the Bureau of Air Safety Investigation arrived on the scene. Stepping out of an off road vehicle, lead investigator Tony Savage removed his sunglasses and stepped as close to the wreckage as he could. He was a stout man in his mid fifties with a closely cropped head of greying hair. The investigator immediately sought out the officer in charge of the site who was patrolling the cordon, "Nasty looking impact", Tony began, "judging by the crater they came down at some speed". He made a couple of notes on a pad of paper before continuing, "Anything important to report?"

The Police officer sniggered slightly, surprising the lead investigator, "I'm not sure you'd believe me if I told you", he lifted up the cordon tape and ushered Tony a little closer. About fifty metres from their current position lay two body bags containing what the investigator assumed was human remains. Much to his surprise next to the body bags were three creatures that he assumed to be snakes, only they didn't look like any snake he had ever seen before. "Found these three little beauties inside the fuselage", the officer began, "and I think they took a chunk out of these two".

Opening the body bags, the officer showed Tony the remains of Adam Norris and Gregor Edgely. Immediately obvious were the large bite marks on their body, "Jesus Christ", Tony shook his head, "what the bloody hell happened on this plane?" He stood up from his crouched position, already his mind was swirling with possibilities. One thing was certain this was turning into the most unusual case he could remember, "What about the rest of bodies, any of them showing signs of animal bites?"

"Well that's the weird thing", the officer replied, "there are no other bodies on board".

Tony blinked a couple of times, wondering if he had misheard the officer. Deciding that he had, the investigator tried to clarify, "What do you mean there are no other bodies? How can over a hundred and fifty people just disappear?"

"Only reporting what my men have found", the officer began, "there's no other bodies and no signs of any other organic material". He paused and shook his head, "It's like they just disappeared into thin air". Now this case was the strangest he had investigated Tony thought to himself. It was possible the plane had suffered some kind of explosive decompression, sucking everyone out in mid air, he continued to muse internally. If that did happen, why were these bodies left behind?

Tony was pulled out of his internal musing by the sound of someone calling out in the distance. Just over the horizon, he could see a large group of people moving in their direction. Initially he thought that it was some volunteers from the town a few miles down the road. As they got closer though, the lead investigator thought he could made out a pilots uniform on one of those leading the group, "What the hell?" he gasped under his breath.

Moments later it became clear that he wasn't hallucinating, there was a pilot leading the group. He was supporting the other pilot under the arms, judging by his pale expression he was probably injured in some way. The convoy suddenly became even more unusual, there was a short brunette woman in a very short skirt and colourful blouse. Next to her were two flight attendants and finally there was a raven haired woman in a dark blue blouse and grey waistcoat. Tucked under her arms was a velvet coat that was extremely inappropriate for the warm Australian sun. The investigator couldn't do an accurate head count but this appeared to be the missing passengers from the plane.

The dark haired woman appeared to be leading the group and she kept walking towards Tony and the officer. Just a couple of paces behind her were the brunette and the two flight attendants, "Ah there you are", the woman greeting. Tony frowned, picking up on the British accent immediately, "do you know how far we've had to walk to find you?" she added, making it sound like it was their fault for investigating the wrong site.

"That's because you inputted the wrong co-ordinates Doctor", the brunette added in a sweet tone that was so saccharine that she must've been speaking sarcastically.

"Don't be so pedantic Clara", the one identified as the Doctor shot back, "you don't have experience of temporal physics so I'd like to see you do better".

"Oh I'm sorry, I must've forgot to do that badge when I was a Brownie", Clara argued back. Behind the bickering pair, the two flight attendants looked like they didn't know whether to laugh or look horribly embarrassed.

There was a bit of movement from the crowd and a young red haired woman pushed through, trailing a dark blue leather jacket behind her, "Can you two stop arguing", she then turned to Tony and the officer, "this is all I've heard for the last hour, bickering like a pair of teenagers".

Tony and the police officer looked at each other, if these were the survivors of the crash they all seemed in remarkable good spirits. One of the flight attendants stepped forward, the one with short brown hair and addressed the pair, "Tegan Jovanka, flight attendant for Oceanic Airlines", she then introduced the rest of the crew, "Amy Wei flight attendant, First Officer Steve Hills and finally Captain Darren Gilchrist. He was bitten by a snake and requires some urgent medical care but other than that, there are no other injuries to report".

"Hang on a second", Tony interrupted Tegan, "these are the survivors from the crash?" Tegan and the others nodded, "But, how?" he stammered.

"Long story", the Doctor chuckled, "but before we tell you, I suggest getting someone from UNIT down here". She snatched a small hand held device from Clara's hand, much to the brunette's annoyance, "The number's stored in there, tell them it's a level nine situation and if you speak to someone by the name of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, tell him the Doctor sends her love". She snorted with laughter, seemingly whatever she said was funny to her, "That'll really put his beret in a twist". With that she put her coat back on, stuffed her hand in her pockets and walked away, leaving a confused Tony behind.

A couple of hours later the Doctor was leaning against her TARDIS watching UNIT's Australian branch cleaning away the remains of the wreckage. The investigators didn't even raise an eyebrow when the blue box appeared out of nowhere. It was like they were too shell shocked by the absurdity of the situation to ask any questions. The device she had rigged together from Agent Edgely's Vortex Manipulator had worked but not entirely as she had planned. Instead of nudging them through time by a few seconds, it had actually pushed them all a few miles away from the crash site. After surveying the wreckage the Doctor was glad for her miscalculation. If they hadn't gotten some distance, it was likely that they would've had some more serious injuries on their hands.

Her thoughts briefly drifted towards Agent Edgely and his involvement in the crash. The Time Lady had confirmed that he was the perpetrator of the incident but had neglected to inform the UNIT personnel that he was from the future. Something told her that his employers had access to UNIT information and he really didn't want them to come looking for his remains. Not that they probably would, his Vortex Manipulator had burned out from the exertion. Without that, his physical remains were useless. Still, it gave the Doctor a sense of satisfaction that whoever was pulling his strings wouldn't find out when and where he had gone missing.

"Ready to go?" Clara asked as she and Jenny approached the TARDIS, "I've got a nice relaxing date with Danny lined up for tonight, I'd like to wash the dirt off me, if that's not too much trouble".

"Yes you could do with a good wash", the Time Lady flicked some clumps of dirt out of Clara's hair, much to the disapproval of the teacher. She then turned to Jenny, "I suppose you'll want a lift back to Elliott", she said with displeasure, "not that I should help you, not after you stole the TARDIS".

Jenny smirked, "Don't need a lift, I got my own", she flashed her Vortex Manipulator that she had reclaimed from Tegan, "catch you on the flip side mother", she added with a cheeky smile and teleported away in a flash of blue light.

The Doctor was flabbergasted for a moment, which seemed to please Clara, "Takes me back to my teenage years". The Time Lady didn't have long to stew on her frustration with her daughter's antics as Tegan was gingerly approaching the TARDIS.

"So this is goodbye, again", Tegan sighed, "I hope it won't be another millennium before you look me up again Doctor".

"Trust me Tegan, you're going to see me so much from now on that you'll beg me to stay away", the Time Lady smiled. She approached her former companion slowly, "Tell you what, how about one last trip. It's been a while since I dropped in on Nyssa and I bet she'd be delighted to see you again".

The Doctor's hopes of getting Tegan back onboard the TARDIS quickly faded as the smile disappeared from her face, "I'd like nothing more Doctor", she looked back at Amy, who was standing awkwardly a few metres away, "but I've had enough adventure to last me the year".

"I see", the Doctor said in a deflated tone.

"Plus you've got these mysterious people out to get you", Tegan continued, "I've dragged one of my best friend's into this madness, I wouldn't want to subject the other to the same treatment". The Doctor nodded numbly, disappointed by the rejection from the flight attendant. She was so busy gazing at the floor that the Time Lady didn't notice Tegan approaching, "Then again maybe a little break would do me good, I've been working so hard for the last five years". The Doctor felt Tegan's hands on her arms, "Once you've deal with whoever's behind this, meet me in Brisbane's central square, shall we say in three months time from my perspective".

The Doctor's heart's soared with happiness and she flashed a broad grin, "Tegan, it would be my pleasure".

"One condition", Tegan held up an index finger, "Amy comes with me".

"Wait, what?" Amy gasped.

Tegan shrugged, "You said you wanted to travel for something other than work purposes, now's your chance".

"Yeah but I meant backpacking around Europe, not flashing around time and space in a blue box", Amy paused and thought about the offer for a moment, "then again, when will I get an opportunity like this again".

"The more the merrier, that's what I say Miss Wei", the Doctor nodded, "looks like it's a date Tegan". She grinned broadly and wrapped Tegan in a tight hug, "Take care of yourself until then and remember, brave heart Tegan", she whispered in the flight attendants ear.

"Brave heart too Doctor", Tegan smiled in response.

As the Time Lady and companion release each other, Clara shuffled forward, "Just one thing before we go, did you say you work for Oceanic Airlines Tegan?" The Doctor remembered that from Tegan's introduction to Tony Savage a couple of hours ago. It occurred to her that in all the time she knew the flight attendant, she never asked which company she worked for.

"That's right", Tegan replied, "this was Flight 815, I'm sure everyone will remember the time that this plane was nearly lost".

There was a brief moment of silence before Clara burst out laughing, "Oh Tegan, you don't know how right you are, although I would've preferred to land on a deserted island rather than a desert". Clara was still chuckling to herself as she boarded the TARDIS.

"I have absolutely no idea why she found that funny", the Doctor shrugged before offering Tegan and Amy a little waive, "see you in a few months". The door of the TARDIS closed and with a familiar wheeze, the time ship faded out of existence. This could've been a day when the Doctor lost several things that were precious to her but in the end, things turned out as well as could be expected. Hundreds of lives had been saved and she had reconnected with a former companion. She was sure that the puppet masters would be furious once they realised Edgely was lost but that was a concern for another day.

 **END OF EPISODE 9**

 _ **A/N -** Possible set up for a reunion with Nyssa but not immediately. On to Episode 10 shortly which is my version of the Series 8 episode Flatline. _


	32. Episode 10: Flatline

_Episode 10 – Flatline_

 _Chapter 1_

The TARDIS was in flight, returning its three woman crew back to modern day London. The trio had visited the red sand beaches of Verdia Prime, arguably the best beach resort of the galaxy. For once they had managed to avoid trouble, enjoying a day at the seaside of an alien planet. Jenny in particular enjoyed the papican tropical juice cocktails that the locals prepared, so much so that she had brought one back on the TARDIS with her. The red head perched herself on the console, sipping through a bright pink straw whilst holding onto the blue papican fruit with both hands, "You really should try some of this", the young Time Lady said to her mother, "those Verdians really know how to make a drink".

The Doctor looked at the blue fruit, roughly the size of melon, in Jenny's hand and gave it a sniff, "Far too sweet for my tastes, like those energy drinks you insist on drinking". Clara had made the mistake of introducing Jenny to a drink known as Irn Bru, a fizzy drink originating from Scotland. The bright orange drink was packed full of sugar and caffeine which sent the Time Lady's many senses buzzing into overdrive, "They don't actually boost our energy levels, Time Lord biology is far too advanced to be influenced by simple human additives", the Doctor added with an air of superiority.

"I like the taste", Jenny replied defensively, "we all have our vices Mum, need I remind you about fish custard".

The Doctor shuddered slightly, "Yes, well, not even I'm perfect". Deciding to move the conversation away from the eating habits of her last regeneration, the older Time Lady took a quick look around the console, "Is Clara still on the phone?"

"Think so", Jenny said between sips of her drink, "you don't complain when she speaks to Danny for ages but when Elliott calls me, I only get thirty seconds".

"Clara isn't my daughter though", the Doctor sniffed and spotted the human teacher close to the TARDIS doors with her mobile phone pressed against her ear. The Time Lady had to smile, Clara was clearly in love with her fellow teacher. She had that look in her eyes that only belonged on a human in love. Her current call to Danny started about half an hour ago as they were leaving Verdi Prime. The Doctor couldn't understand why Clara was still speaking, they would be back in London in a couple of minutes. Sometimes she just didn't understand human behaviour at all, "Since we were talking about drinks Jenny, did I ever tell you about the time I invented the banana daiquiri?"

At the other end of the console room, Clara leaned against the TARDIS doors. She had a bright smile on her face simply from speaking to Danny. Since she hadn't told him that she had forgiven the Doctor and started travelling in the TARDIS again, her absence was explained by a family reunion in her home town of Blackpool. She had been gone for the whole weekend, assuming the Time Lady got her back in time, _"Still there Clara?"_ Danny asked down the phone.

"Yeah sorry, train journey's aren't the most exciting things in the world", Clara replied, "speaking to you makes them bearable though".

" _Glad to hear that I still have my uses",_ Danny chuckled, _"I really missed you this weekend"._

Clara's heart skipped a beat, she had missed Danny too. Not that this weekend in the TARDIS had been boring, red sand beaches, thwarting a Cyberman invasion of a sentient asteroid and learning to ride a horse in the Old West were enough to keep anyone entertained. There was something about snuggling on the sofa with a glass of wine, a Netflix boxset and Danny that couldn't be beaten though.

The good mood of the TARDIS was suddenly broken by a violent jerk and Clara was thrown against the metal railing. She gasped in pain as the pole crashed against her side, something that Danny heard, " _Clara, are you alright I heard a crash?"_ a panicked Danny called down the phone.

"Yeah fine", Clara replied through gritted teeth, "just tripped up on the way to the toilet". Once the pain had faded slightly, she noticed the lights in the console room had dimmed significantly and the two Time Lady's were dashing frantically around the console, "Sorry Danny gotta go, tunnel coming or something, I love you".

" _Clara wait-",_ the teacher had hung up before she could hear Danny's response. Another violent jerk from the time ship nearly sent her over the edge of the walkway. Clara's eyes widened as she gazed in the abyss below and resolved to ask the Doctor to cover up the void to nowhere sooner rather than later.

There was one final crash which sent all three occupants of the TARDIS tumbling to the ground. Clara hit the metal walkway with a thud, waiting for a few seconds for her heart rate to return to normal. Crash landings weren't that uncommon from the TARDIS, both versions of the Doctor she had met weren't the greatest of pilots. It had been a while since their last crash though and Clara wondered what had brought this one on. Gingerly clambering to her feet, she stumbling towards the console, "Smooth landing as always Doctor", she said sarcastically.

"Not my fault Clara", the Doctor was still fiddling with the TARDIS controls, "something is draining our power. We were fortunate to land on something solid, otherwise we would've been lost in the vortex".

Clara cast a quick look at Jenny, she trusted the younger Time Lady to be honest about the situation. The Doctor's pride tended to see her bend the trust when the TARDIS crashed or went off course. A quick nod from the red head confirmed what the Doctor had said, "What could drain a TARDIS in flight though?" Clara asked, "don't you have shields or something to defend against that".

"Very good question", the Doctor stated, "shields were working, still are but something is still draining the power". She slapped a couple of large red buttons, forcing a jet of steam out of the console top. The lights flickered back to full before dimming once again, "Damn it", the Doctor cursed, "take a quick look outside, maybe that'll give us some clues".

Both Jenny and Clara glanced at each other, "Go outside, to find something powerful to suck a TARDIS out the time vortex? Shouldn't we at least use the scanners first to see if we've landed somewhere hospitable", Jenny asked incredulously.

The Doctor pushed in her frantic button pushing and groaned, "Taking the boring path, didn't I teach you anything Jenny".

"I learn by your mistakes", Jenny said dryly and started the scanner, however, the lights dimmed so dramatically that she immediately stopped, "That's not a good sign is it?"

"And that's why I didn't want to use the scanner, drains too much power", the Doctor stated with an edge to her voice, "the atmosphere is breathable, in times of emergency the TARDIS will only land on a planet with a breathable atmosphere". Still a little reluctant, Clara and Jenny crossed the walkway and paused at the TARDIS door. Neither was sure what to expect when the doors opened, a desolate wasteland or maybe even an attacking army waiting to seize the TARDIS. It was with great trepidation that Jenny pulled the door open and they stepped outside.

To their surprise and relief there was no one outside waiting for them, in fact there wasn't much of anything around. The TARDIS was sitting in the middle of some barren scrubland, nothing but brown grass and dirt underneath their feet, "Well this is an anti-climax", Clara grumbled, shutting the TARDIS door behind her, "we could be anywhere".

"We're definitely on Earth", Jenny took a deep breath, "smells like Earth anyway". She crouched down and ran her hand through the dirt, "Contemporary Earth for you I'd say, maybe even 2015 if we're lucky".

"That's something I suppose", Clara answered, "any way of confirming that it's 2015?"

"A copy of today's paper would be handy", Clara wasn't sure if Jenny was being serious or joking around, the red head's face wasn't giving too much away, "my time sense isn't as accurate as Mum's. I'm almost certain it's the second decade of the twenty first century, can't narrow it down any more than that". Clara ran her hand through her brown hair, knowing there were on Earth in the twenty first century was better than nothing. There was still something powerful enough to suck the power out of a TARDIS though, that was extremely concerning.

The pair picked a direction and took a few tentative steps that way. It wasn't too long until Clara spotted a railway line running alongside the scrub land. Moments later a blue diesel train flashed past, startling the pair, "That caught me by surprise", Clara gasped.

"Yeah but it gave us a clue", Jenny grabbed her hand and dragged Clara off at speed, "the train was slowing down, which means there must be a station around here somewhere nearby". Clara struggled to keep up with the excitable Time Lady but now they had something to go on. They had crash landed somewhere near 2015, would it be too much to hope for that they came down somewhere near London? She was supposed to go on a date with Danny later that day and explaining that she was late because the TARDIS crashed somewhere wasn't acceptable.

After a few minutes of walking, a city began to appear on the horizon and unfortunately for Clara it wasn't one that she recognised. There was more bad news because the barren field had run out and they were hemmed in by a railway line on one side and a tall chicken wire fence immediately in front of them. True to Jenny's hypothesis, there was a train station in the distance but they could read the signs on the platform, "Give me a boost", Jenny declared, "I might be able to see the station a little clearer with some height".

"Why am I giving you a boost?" Clara asked incredulously, "you're the biologically superior alien with military programming, shouldn't you hold me up?"

"Two reasons Clara, firstly my eyesight is better than a human and secondly, I'm not wearing a skirt", Jenny replied with a smile.

Clara grumbled, she had to concede Jenny's points, "Curse you aliens with your logical arguments", she sighed and crouched down, allowing Jenny to climb onto her back. A few awkward shuffles later, Jenny was seated on Clara's shoulders, "Can you see anything?" the teacher pleaded. Jenny wasn't heavy but Clara's shoulders weren't the strongest either.

"I might be able to if you stayed still", Jenny groaned, eventually resorting to grabbing the top of the fence for stability. Clara's shoulders and back began to burn from the extra weight of the Time Lady and she was really wishing that she brought her lack of height into the argument earlier. Her silent prayers were answered by a cry of joy from the Time Lady, "I've got it, does the name Bristol Temple Meads mean anything to you?"

The school teacher blinked for a couple of seconds, the clue to their location was literally in the name Jenny had read. Unsurprisingly Bristol Temple Meads was the primary railway station in the city of Bristol. She had to suppress her sarcastic response though, Jenny wasn't that familiar with Earth geography, "Yeah, we're in Bristol", she stated dryly.

Rather than climb back down Clara, Jenny hoisted her legs above the teacher's head to extract herself before leaping to the ground, "Oh, that's near London right?"

"Not really, we're at the opposite end of the country", Clara rubbed her eyes, it looked like her date with Danny was going to have to wait. Without the TARDIS it would take her hours to get from Bristol to London, "At least we know where we are, let's go back and tell the Doctor. Maybe the power issues have sorted themselves out".

The walk back to the TARDIS was largely silent, mostly because Clara was wondering how to get back home and keep her date without raising Danny's suspicions. She had considered telling her boyfriend about travelling with the Doctor again but the moment never seemed right. Danny still wasn't overly trusting towards the Doctor and Clara didn't want to start an unnecessary argument. Clara had been careful to ensure their paths hadn't crossed and as long as it stayed that way, everyone would be happy.

By now the pair could see the TARDIS in the distance, although it looked further away that either of them remembered. It wasn't until they were almost on top of the TARDIS that Clara could see something was wrong. She wasn't a tall woman, barely over five feet tall, so usually the TARDIS towered over her. Now thought the very top of the time ship was only a few inches taller than her, probably now about the same height as Jenny. Clara glanced over at the young Time Lady and based on the confused look on her face, Jenny was thinking the same thing, "I know it's meant to be bigger on the inside but this is getting ridiculous", Clara stated, gently touching the blue box.

"It's shrunk, the TARDIS has shrunk", Jenny gasped, "Clara, I think we're in big trouble".

 _ **A/N –**_ _Yay an update of this story. Sorry it's been a while, got sidetracked by other projects plus I felt like a little bit of a break._

 _As the title implies this is based on the Series 8 episode Flatline, one of my favourites. It's not a scene for scene recreations, more like an adaption to fit with my vision and master plan. More to follow soon._


	33. 10: Exploration

_Chapter 2 – Exploration_

" _It's shrunk, the TARDIS has shrunk", Jenny gasped, "Clara, I think we're in big trouble"._

Those six words didn't fill Clara with confidence, firstly there had been the crash landing and now something was physically changing the dimensions of the TARDIS. Whoever was doing this was very good at staying hidden. Clara hadn't seen anyone during their walk through the field, nothing remotely suspicious near the railway line either. Even standing in the presence of the TARDIS there was no sign of anything wrong, except of the noticeably smaller time ship.

Clara watched Jenny gingerly push the door open and stick her head inside. From the view over the red head's shoulder, nothing seemed different on the inside. It was still quite dark, reminding Clara of the time she had entered the damaged remains of the TARDIS the first time she met the Twelfth Doctor. "Did you find anything?" the voice of the Doctor called out.

"Sort of", Jenny began, "apparently we've crashed in Bristol".

"Bristol, that's near London isn't it?" the older Time Lady called back.

Clara rolled her eyes, "Bloody aliens, one day I'm going to buy you a map of Britain" she muttered under her breath. "No that's not near London", the teacher called out a little louder, "we're over a hundred miles away". Frustration was building inside Clara, she was miles away from home and they still didn't know exactly where they were in history, "More importantly Doctor, your TARDIS appears to have shrunk".

There was a moment of silence, almost like the older Time Lady was trying to digest those words. A response soon came in the form of the Doctor's head poking out the door, "Shrunk, my TARDIS can't change its physical appearance", the raven haired woman scoffed.

Annoyed with the attitude of the Time Lady, Clara grabbed her by the hands and pulled her outside. "Well I'm not an expert in dimensional engineering", the brunette began, "but I do have eyes and your blue box is definitely smaller".

There was a grim sense of satisfaction as Clara watched the Doctor circling the box in disbelief. Every now and then she heard the Time Lady mumbling something under her breath but she was speaking too quickly for Clara to understand. Eventually the Doctor stopped pacing and stood back next to Clara, "My TARDIS has shrunk", she stuttered, "how the hell can my TARDIS shrink? The chameleon circuit hasn't magically started working, unless", her voice suddenly trailed off as a wide eyed look of panic flashed across her flash, "No but that's impossible", she mumbled and dashed back inside the TARDIS.

Both of her companions were quick to follow, scrambling inside just as another violent judder rocked the time ship. Clara immediately noticed that it was definitely cooler inside the TARDIS than it was when she left. She could feel goose bumps rising on the exposed part of her skin as the cold air hit. The Doctor returned to the main console and began frantically flicking levers and pushing buttons. To the untrained eye, it appeared that the older Time Lady was randomly attacking the console in desperation, "Doctor, what's happening to TARDIS and what can we do to help?" Clara pleaded with the alien woman.

"The TARDIS is experiencing a dimensional shift due to fluctuations in the hypocautic energy matrix", the Doctor rattled off quickly, "if I can't contain the leak then the dimensional relays will completely short out".

Clara nodded slowly, taking onboard every word that the older Time Lady said. To her though, they were simply words that the Doctor had thrown together and actually made no sense whatsoever. Reluctantly she leaned closer to Jenny and whispered in her ear, "Did that make sense to you?"

"Sadly yes but only because my brain is wired differently", Jenny took off her jacket and slung it over one of the railings, "not sure how well that translated into Earth English". The young Time Lady approached the console, "Anything I can do to help?" she asked her mother.

"Sorry Jenny, this is job for someone vastly experienced in TARDIS engineering like myself", the older Time Lady replied. After examining a console piece closely she slapped it hard with the base of her palm, triggering a shower of sparks from the disgruntled time ship. Clara watched on as Jenny calmly pushed a small green button on another console panel, causing the sparks to cease almost immediately. As the young Time Lady stood with her hands on her hips in triumph, the Doctor grumbled under her breath, "Fine, see you can get the life support systems stabilised", she reluctantly agreed.

Clara didn't like the sound of that, if they were experiencing problems with the life support systems that could be disastrous. She wasn't a coward but maybe the best place for her would be away from the TARDIS. There was still the mystery of why the TARDIS crashed to begin with, perhaps she would be of more use to her alien friends trying to track down the source. "Maybe I should have a further look around", she suggested to the two Time Lady's, "there's not much I could do to help".

"Excellent idea", the Doctor replied, "but don't go too far, we're getting out of here the second this problems been resolved". The Time Lady's returned to their frantic adjustments to the systems and barely noticed Clara slip towards the doors.

Almost immediately Clara encountered a problem, the TARDIS had shrunk again and there was barely enough room for her to squeeze out. Turning her slender frame sideways Clara breathed in and forced herself out, tumbling onto the worn grass in the process. The TARDIS was barely four feet tall now, almost comically small when you knew what was on the inside. Clara suppressed a giggle and called back into the ship, "Doctor, we've got a big problem", she considered her words for a second before adding, "well, small problem technically".

Seconds later the Doctor's head appeared in the door way, looking large in comparison to her ship. The Time Lady wasn't overly tall, five feet eight at the most, but even she was struggling to squeeze through the shrunken doors, "Ah, this is a problem", the Time Lady said casually. Clara couldn't hold her laughter in and sniggered loudly as the Doctor tried to force her way out the door, "This isn't funny Clara", the dark haired woman scolded her companion.

"Course not", Clara snorted between laughs, "you just look like a child who's couldn't accept they were too big for the wendy house". The Time Lady shot her an angry look before forcing herself back inside the TARDIS, slamming the door in anger, "I told you not to have those extra banana fritter's Doctor", the school teacher chuckled before jogging away from the TARDIS before the Time Lady could retort further.

Since Clara vaguely knew where the train station was, she headed in that direction. Maybe there was some kind of access gate out of this wasteland which would lead to civilisation. As she was walking, the brunette sent a quick message to Danny from her phone, ' _Train broken down, will be later than planned. Rain check? xxx'._ At least she had covered herself in case the TARDIS was out of commission for longer than expected.

There had been many times during the last few weeks that Clara had thought about telling Danny about her travelling in the TARDIS again. The closest she had come was last week when the Doctor dropped her off directly inside Coal Hill School. Unfortunately the Doctor got her co-ordinates a little wrong and landed the TARDIS inside the storage cupboard of Danny's classroom, not her classroom as planned. By a stroke of luck her boyfriend had stepped outside for a couple of minutes, allowing her to sneak out before he returned.

Clara didn't know why she hadn't told Danny but it was getting harder with each passing day to reveal the truth. It was easier to continue to live the lie than reveal the truth. She knew Danny would be devastated that she hadn't told him about the Doctor and she didn't want to destroy the only good relationship she had experienced in the last few years. Somehow Clara knew the truth would come out eventually but she was too scared to tell Danny directly. She had to hope that today's mishap wasn't the start of the big reveal on her secret life.

After walking for a few minutes, Clara found a small gate that she easily clambered over. After navigating a tight alley, the school teacher found herself in an industrial estate with grey lifeless factories in every direction. She picked a direction and carried on walking, eventually finding a main road with the railway line from earlier just a few metres away. Clara's first concern was finding out what the date was, which she could do with the help of a convenience store on the other side of the road.

Sitting out the shop was a plastic rack containing the daily newspapers. Clara bounced over the road and quickly scanned the papers, "Huh, only a few days into my future", the teacher commented, "not too bad". It was tempting to grab one of the papers and read through the news that was going to happen for her in a few days. In the back of her mind she could hear the Doctor's voice warning her about creating a fixed point by discovering too much about the future. Clara resisted the temptation to open a paper but her own curiosity got the best of her in a different way, "Just a quick peek at the headlines won't hurt".

Most of the papers were leading with a story about the launch of a new mobile network, happening tomorrow from the relative perspective of this timeline. Clara had seen the adverts for the 3W network on television and online but had largely ignored them. She wasn't aware that 3W was quite going to be quite as big as this, headline news across most of the major daily papers. There was one paper leading with something else though, "Typical of The Sun, ignoring the actual news", Clara muttered, "large head-on collider", she groaned at the terrible headline pun. "Hunt begins for scientist wanted in connection with hit and run incident in Shoreditch yesterday".

Clara's interest was piqued, a story relating to her neck of the woods. There was a picture of the wanted person and her victim judging by the text but the rest of the page had been folded over. Clara knew she shouldn't by what harm could she do by looking? It was highly unlikely that she could actually know the people involved.

She was just about to smooth out the page when someone bumped into her, knocking her off balance. She turned her head and spotted a teenage girl, no older than eighteen, dressed in a baggy pair of jeans and hooded top. Strangely she had teamed her top with a yellow high visibility jacket, "Sorry mate, didn't see you", the girl chirped. Her skin was pale, making it easy for Clara to spot her nose ring and pierced eyebrow. The girls brown hair had been dipped dyed, the electric blue tips clashing violently with her hi-vis jacket, "The rozzers will lock me up if I'm late again". The girl turned on her heels and practically sprinted down the road towards the railway.

Watching the teenager run down the road, Clara tried her best not to be too judgemental but she was finding it difficult. Just based on the girl's outward appearance and mention of the Police, Clara instantly came to the conclusion that she was trouble. There was something pulling at the teacher though, something was telling her to follow the girl. Wondering if this was how the Doctor sensed when trouble was brewing, Clara set off after the girl at a safe distance, the front page of that newspaper soon a distant memory.


	34. 10: The Artists

_Chapter 3 – The Artists_

It wasn't long before Clara caught up with the teen near a pedestrian tunnel that when underneath the railway line. The school teacher observed from a distance as the girl met up with five other youths of a similar age together with a Police officer. Completing the little group was a grizzled looking older man with a sour look on his face. Positioned near the group was an assortment of cleaning equipment and a couple of buckets of paint.

Fortunately for Clara the path leading to the tunnel was a little overgrown with tall weeds, allowing the brunette to merge into the background. She moved as close as she could to the group as she dared, trying to avoid catching anyone's attention, "Alright you lot, you know why you're here", the miserable looking man began, "you've got your assignments so get to it quickly and quietly. The council's not paying me to listen to you bleat on all day".

"And I thought you were here out the kindness of your heart", one of the group snorted. It was a dark skinned teenage boy, a grey hoodie sticking out the top of the regulation hi-vis jacket.

"Needs to have a heart first Rigsy", the girl who ran into Clara commented, drawing a small smile from her fellow workers.

The only one not smiling was the council employee present to supervise their work. He glared at the two teens before grabbing one of the paint cans, "I changed my mind about the assignments, you two can cover over the graffiti that's polluting this lovely piece of council property". He dropped the can at the feet of the two teens, "Shouldn't be too much trouble for you, I hear from my officer friend that you're pretty handy with a can of paint". A smile was now plastered over his face but it was one of malicious joy rather than genuine happiness.

Clara watched as the young offenders began to go about their jobs, slightly reluctantly in the case of Rigsy and the girl. Clara thought that she had been mistaken in her earlier feeling, there didn't appear to be anything out of place here other than some juvenile delinquency. She still had more of the city to explore though and this tunnel lead to the city centre. The teacher emerged from her hiding place and slowly walked down the stone steps and into the underpass.

At first glance and smell, this tunnel appeared to be identical to the one's she had encountered back in London. The general smell of stale alcohol and urine stung her nostrils but coming from a major city, she quickly adjusted to the unique odour. Like most tunnels it was covered in graffiti, illuminated by the cheapest set of lights that the council could install. It was only as she moved further down the underpass that she noticed the intricate nature of the graffiti. There were the usual tags but they were interlaced with shadowy figures vaguely in the shape of people. Some were painted in stationary position but others were bent over like they were in pain and some looked like they were reaching outwards, begging for someone to save them.

Standing in that poorly lit tunnel covered in creepy graffiti, Clara really wished that the Doctor or Jenny was with her. They could reassure her that these paintings weren't as creepy as she thought, either with some comforting words or a flash of the sonic screwdriver. She inched a little closer to one of the walls, stretching out her fingers towards the painted ones on the wall. As her fingers got closer to the graffiti, Clara could swear that she could hear someone whispering. The noise continued to get louder until she was practically touching the surface. She was certain she heard a shriek of pain, followed by a loud crash. Startled, Clara jumped back from the wall and bumped into one of the workers, "Woah careful", the school teacher turned around and noticed that it was the one identified earlier as Rigsy, "are you alright, you look like you've seen a ghost".

"Yeah, fine", Clara gasped breathless, her voice barely audible over the sound of a train passing overhead. She swallowed deeply, reassuring herself that the noise she heard must've come from an approaching train. "Interesting graffiti", she continued, "I've never seen anything like this before".

"I wouldn't call it graffiti", Rigsy replied, almost sounding a little offended, "something like this is a work of art".

Clara raised an eyebrow, "Your supervisor for the day doesn't appear to agree with you", the teacher looked around and noticed that the sour faced man was tormenting another one of the workers at the other end of the tunnel. She turned her attention back to the walls, "Is this some of your work then?"

Rigsy snorted, "I wish, truth is no one know where this comes from. Another figure gets added to the mural without anyone noticing, sometimes in broad daylight". Now Clara's internal weirdness alarm was blaring loudly, something about this tunnel was seriously creeping her out. Strange noises and mysterious graffiti appearing without anyone noticing, this was beginning to feel more like the Doctor's territory. "You're not local are you?" Rigsy asked and Clara shook her head. The worker looked around quickly, checking that the Police officer and supervisor were out of sight. He beckoned her back to the end of the tunnel where she had entered, "This wall has earned the name the wall of the missing", he stated.

"That doesn't sound ominous at all", Clara commented out loud, although she intended for it to remain internal.

Her new friend though simply laughed, "Every out of towner says that". Once outside the tunnel the pair spotted the girl with dyed hair standing on a low wall with a bucket of water next to her. She was washing down the tunnel wall in preparation for painting, "Hey Nova you missed a spot", he called up to the girl.

"Nova?" Clara snorted, "please tell me your parents didn't christen you Nova".

"Nah it's my tag name", the girl chuckled, jumped down off the wall and landing next to Clara, "us artists never refer to each other by our real names, sign of respect ya know".

Clara looked at the wall and noticed a large red tag baring the name Rigsy and next to that was an electric blue one which read Nova, "Aww that's sweet, regular Bonnie and Clyde aren't you". Almost immediately the two teens came over shy, scratching their heads and looking anywhere other than each other. Clara smiled coyly, working as a secondary school teacher had given her some insight into the teenage mind. Clearly the pair had a thing for each other but were too shy to admit their feelings for each other. She would've loved to play matchmaker but she was desperate to get back home, "So wall of the missing?" she returned the subject back to the tunnel.

Nova quickly snapped back to the present, "Ah a tourist", she smiled and reached behind Clara, pulling a piece of paper off the wall. "People have been disappearing for the last few weeks", she handed over a missing person's poster to the brunette, "usually one a day but in the last week it's been two or three".

"The Police haven't found any clues", Rigsy picked up the story, "clearly catching artists like us is much more important than dozens of missing people". Clara turned around and almost kicked herself. The wall at the entrance of the tunnel was covered in missing person posters. How she had missed this on the way into the tunnel was anyone's guess, "The spooky thing is that for every poster on this wall, there's a corresponding figure on the wall".

Clara's head snapped up and looked at the teens, "Thirty four missing people, thirty four posters and thirty four ghostly paintings", Nova added, "little creepy if you ask me".

This was too much of a coincidence to ignore although Clara wasn't too sure how this was connected to the shrinking TARDIS. It was a lead though and worth investigating further, "Do you mind if I keep hold of this?" she asked the teens.

"Be my guest", the trio froze, it was the council supervisor, "they're illegal notices that need to be moved".

"Come on Fenton", Rigsy snorted, "these are people's friends and family who are missing, show a little compassion".

Clara had come across people like this Fenton character many times, an inflexible stickler for the rules without an ounce of genuine compassion or imagination. Someone who, when given a tiny amount of authority, proceeded to lord it over everyone they perceived as inferior. It made Clara wonder why the Doctor spent so long fighting Daleks and Cybermen when the micro managers of Earth were the true danger to society. "Need I remind you that you're here on community service", Fenton drawled, "taken those posters down is servicing the community". He inched a little closer to Nova, "Or maybe I should tell PC Forrest that you're refusing to cooperate, you must be one strike away from some jail time by now".

"They're just doing what they think is right", Clara glared at the man, "perhaps you should try it once in a while".

"And just who are you?" Fenton asked, turning his stare on Clara.

"Just your average tax payer, concerned how her hard earned pounds are being spent", Clara shot back, "don't you have some pens to be pushing?" Clara sometimes clashed with the Doctor and her acerbic personality but she really wished that the Time Lady was here to give this horrible man a piece of her mind.

Seeing that he wasn't intimidate Clara, Fenton sniffed and shuffled back slightly, "Just get back to work and stop bothering this law abiding citizen". He stopped to point at the teens, "And I'm taking this out of your lunch break".

Once he was out of sight Nova scoffed under her breath, "What an absolute prick".

"Couldn't agree more", Clara agreed with the teen, "look I'm going to look into this but I need to bring a couple of friends along". She bounced up the stepped, tucking the poster into her bag, "Just try not to annoy him too much, don't get yourself arrested just because you annoyed pond scum like him".

Clara hoped that the teens listened to her advice and quickly made her way back to the TARDIS. Scored of people disappearing in a short space of time was something that usually warranted investigating. By the sounds of it the Police weren't having much success but that didn't mean that something extraterrestrial was behind their disappearance. If the cause wasn't alien in nature at the very least it would pass the time until the TARDIS was fully operational again.

When Clara returned to the field where the TARDIS had crashed she couldn't spot the blue box anywhere. Her first thought was that the Doctor had made the repairs, quickly followed by panic that the Time Lady had accidentally abandoned her in the very near future. Her mind began to think of excuses to make to Danny and the school for her disappearance when spotted something on the ground. She did a quickly double take but her eyes weren't deceiving her, she had definitely nearly stepped on her ride home.

Crouching down Clara picked up the TARDIS and placed it in the palm of her hand. It had shrunk so much that it would easily fit inside her shoulder bag, making look like a toy replica of the TARDIS. Clara couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation all the while thinking of various 'bigger on the inside' jokes to make. Suddenly her mind thought about the Doctor and Jenny, what kind of condition were they in? "Doctor", she called out, tapping gently on the miniature doors, "are you alright?"

Seconds later the doors flung open, revealing a singular dark brown eye that could only belong to the Doctor, "Clara I'm fine, why-" her voice suddenly trailed off, noticing the comparative size of Clara to her, "we've shrunk again, haven't we?" the Time Lady replied with a resigned tone.

"Oh yes", Clara practically beamed, "on the plus side, the TARDIS looks absolutely adorable".

"Yes, yes keep laughing", the Doctor snapped, "tell me you found something that could help us".

Still with the TARDIS balanced on her open palm, Clara pulled out the missing person poster, "There's a tunnel near the railway line with thirty something posters", the teacher stuffed it into the tiny TARDIS door where it was snatched through by the Doctor. "Inside the tunnel there a mural which keeps updating itself depending on the number of missing people from the city".

"Local vandals no doubt", the Doctor replied dismissively.

"Met a couple of them and they're not claiming responsibility and the Police haven't caught anyone", she paused, remembering the weird feeling during her time in the underpass, "I can't explain it Doctor but I think something alien is happening here".

There was a moment of silence before the Doctor's eye disappeared from the door, revealing the interior of the TARDIS to Clara. It was much darker than earlier but still appeared to be in one piece and most importantly, it wasn't suffering from the shrinkage that was afflicting the rest of the ship. Without warning her vision was filled with the soft light of the Time Lady's sonic screwdriver, "Hey what's the big idea?" she cried.

"If you're going up against an unknown threat you'll need my help", the Doctor replied, "I reactivated the ear piece from that heist a few weeks ago, only now I'm wired for sound and vision".

"You've hacked my central nervous system, again", Clara shouted, unhappy with this turn of events.

"Temporarily", the Doctor stated, ignoring the indignation of her companion, "you'll need these too", she held out the sonic device along with the psychic paper.

Clara played with the screwdriver and the paper, it was rare that the Time Lady let either of these items out of her sight. Even Jenny barely got to use the psychic paper so clearly the Time Lady trusted her judgement. As she tested out the screwdriver, a small smile flashed across her face, "So does this mean I get to be you?"

"Don't push your luck Oswald", the Time Lady shot back with a cheeky edge of her voice. "Just perform a quick scan of the area, perhaps it will give us some answers to our present problem". Clara placed the paper and screwdriver into her bag but now she had a problem. She could hardly walk around with the TARDIS in her hand, that would be too conspicuous. Another grin soon appeared on her face as an evil idea flashed across her face. "Clara what are you doing?" the Time Lady asked as the TARDIS was slowly lowered into the teacher bag, "Clara don't you dare put t-" the rest of the sentence was muffled as the TARDIS sunk into the bag.

"Sorry Doctor but needs must", Clara responded, ignoring the muffled annoyance from the Time Lady. With everything she needed to act at the Doctor, she set off back to the underpass in the hope of finding some answers.

 _ **A/N-**_ _So this story/series isn't quite so abandoned after all. Had a sudden burst of inspiration so striking why the iron's hot._

 _I've added in an additional character in the shape of Nova, a romantic interest for Rigsy...well he had to get a baby from somewhere when he reappears in series 9._


	35. 10: Doctor Oswald

_Chapter 4 – Doctor Oswald  
_

Clara hurried back to the underpass as quickly as she could. The community service patrol seemed to be determined to cover the mural over which could potentially destroy any evidence. Fortunately when she arrived the tunnel was deserted expect for Rigsy and Nova. The two teens had removed the posters from the wall and were furiously scrubbing the walls down in preparation for their new coat of paint. The teacher fiddled nervously with her ear, reminding herself of the earpiece latched onto her central nervous system, "When we get out of here, you're taking this thing out of me", she whispered to herself.

" _One thing at a time Clara",_ the Doctor replied, a little calmer than earlier, _"try to keep your head still, I can't get a good look at the walls"._

"Everyone's a critic", Clara grumbled and slowly dropped down the stairs towards the tunnel. The teens from earlier were at the far end of the underpass and she wanted to avoid dragging them into this situation if possible. Whatever was in the city had the power to distort the TARDIS, that alone was enough to make it dangerous. More importantly she didn't want to get them in trouble with the Police. They seemed like good kids, if a little reckless and misguided in their attempts to create something artistic.

Clara stepped into the tunnel, focusing on the shadowy figures on the wall. The same uneasy feeling washed over Clara again, like these paintings were somehow watching her, "Can we hurry this up", she said through the earpiece, "something is seriously wrong here".

"I know, I'm feeling it too", Clara suddenly hear Jenny's voice from inside her bag. She peeked inside and saw the TARDIS, now propped up on its side with the door open and Jenny's face filling the gap. "It's like the walls are watching us, I've never felt anything like this before", the red head continued.

" _TARDIS isn't detecting anything unusual",_ the Doctor added, " _try the sonic Clara, use setting 461 it's a wide arcing scan program. The TARDIS is still low on power so it could be missing something important"._ The teacher fumbled around in her bag until she found the slender metal tube. She wasn't completely sure how to use the device, other than point it at something and push the button. There were a few tiny buttons and knobs along the shaft so she twisted them, hoping her intent would help her calibrate it properly. Pointing the tube at the wall, a gentle humming and bright amber light pulsed out the tip, " _That's setting 361",_ the Time Lady's voice said through the earpiece, _"great for cauterising flesh wounds, not so good on concrete"._

"Perhaps if you told me how to use the damn thing we wouldn't have this problem", Clara spat back irritably. How was she supposed to know what all the little knobs, buttons and twisty bits did?

"Turn the barrel clockwise until you feel it click", Jenny offered once again trying to act as peace maker between the pair.

Clara did as instructed and resumed her scan of the wall, "See that wasn't too hard was it?" she said sarcastically.

" _Forgive this old woman for forgetting a few things once in a while",_ came the Time Lady's dry response. Clara chose not to escalate the argument further, with the Time Ladies stuck in the TARDIS they would need to work as a team to get out of here. She waived the sonic device over the wall and then switched to the other side. The Doctor hadn't told her to stop or offered any further advice so the brunette assumed she was doing something right. It didn't stop her from feeling like a total idiot though, waiving a small metal tube up and down a wall.

After a minute or so of arm waiving, the Doctor finally spoke again, " _Interesting, it's like the dimensions are getting distorted around this tunnel"._

"Dimensions, as in parallel worlds, like the one we found in a stationary cupboard in my school?" Clara asked. The memory of getting sucked into a hell dimension was still a little raw and it only made her more nervous of this tunnel.

" _No not those types of dimensions",_ the Time Lady corrected, _"but physical dimensions. Think about this you live in a three dimensional world, everything has length, width and most importantly depth. A painting on a wall only has two dimensions, length and width",_ there was a brief pause in the Doctor's lecture before she added, _"expect for these ones, something very strange is happening with these paintings. It's like they've blurred the lines between the second and third dimension"._

Clara understood the Time Lady's explanation but the most concerning thing was the lack of cause for this event. Nothing she had encountered in her months of travelling could explain this phenomenon and by the sounds of it, the Doctor didn't have an explanation either, "Is it safe in here?" she asked softly, "should we cordon off the tunnel".

Another pause, Clara didn't like it when the Doctor didn't reply straight away. That either meant she didn't know the answer or she was thinking up a lie in an attempt to reassure her. " _I'm not sure, the TARDIS is taking too long to calculate"._

Not overly reassured by the answer, Clara backed slowly out of the tunnel and back into daylight. Even if they did have to block off the tunnel, did she have the authority to do that. It didn't seem like Fenton the council worker would want to take her word for it. Maybe the psychic paper would come in handy, assuming the Doctor could get enough power into the TARDIS to complete whatever calculations it needed to do.

Clara was broken out of her thought by some approaching footsteps. She cursed her luck, the sound of the sonic must've attracted the attention of Rigsy and Nova, "You came back then", the girl spoke up, "any luck with those missing people?"

" _Don't tell them anything Clara",_ the Time Lady snapped in her ear, " _I still have no idea what's causing this"._

The teacher scratched her ear, attempting to drown out the annoying voice in her ear, "Working on it", she offered as a response, "where's everyone else?"

"Tea break", Rigsy replied, "how can you be working on it, there's only one of you?"

"Yeah come to think of it, you never told us who you were", Nova chipped in.

Clara cursed her luck, this must be how the Doctor felt every time someone crossed her path during an investigation. Suddenly a thought crossed her mind, maybe she should act the way the Time Lady would in this type of situation. After all she had some knowledge of aliens, coupled with the sonic screwdriver and the right attitude she could pull this off. She put on her most determined look and said confidently, "I'm the Doctor".

" _Clara don't you dare",_ the Time Lady hissed in her ear.

Ignoring the indignant Time Lady, Clara continued, "Doctor Oswald but you can call me Clara", she added with a flourish of the sonic screwdriver.

She watched in anticipation as the two teens glanced nervously at each other, "So Doctor Oswald", Nova began, "what exactly are you a Doctor of?"

" _Of lies",_ came the Doctor's annoyed grunt in Clara's ear.

"Well I'm usually pretty vague about that point", Clara shrugged, "I think I picked the title because it makes me sound important".

Inside the dimly lit TARDIS, Jenny watched as her mother banged her head in frustration against the console surface, "Can you believe that, she's trying to pass herself off as me", the Doctor huffed, "that must be against the rules of the universe".

"I dunno, she doing a good job of it so far", Jenny shrugged as she observed Clara talking with the teens, "if I was an impressionable human I'd believe her". The older Time Lady was continuing to grip the console tightly, grinding her teeth at Clara's impersonation, "Come on let her have her moment, what harm can it do?"

Reluctantly the Doctor appeared to agree with her daughter, "Fine, gang up on me", she pouted, "a human and a Time Lady with less than ninety years experience", she sulked as she flicked a couple of button on the console, "I didn't study at the Academy for nothing you know".

"I know Mother", Jenny attempted to soothe the Doctor's bruised ego. Given the size of the ego, that might take some time, "Any luck with the readings, maybe give Doctor Oswald something to work with".

The Doctor grumbled under her breath and turned her attention back to the scanner. The TARDIS was on emergency power reserves, making the job more strenuous that usual. "This is strange", the older Time Lady announced, pointing at a map on the screen, "there's a similar energy signature coming from a house in the city".

"So it's not just isolated to this tunnel then?" Jenny clarified, "full scale alien invasion?"

"But of what", the Doctor mused, tapping a finger against her chin, "creatures that can manipulate physical dimensions, that's a new one. If I wasn't stuck inside a failing TARDIS this would actually be exciting".

Jenny stiffened slightly at the term 'failing TARDIS'. She knew enough about the time ship to know it wasn't healthy but for the Doctor to admit that it was slowly dying, that suddenly made everything more real. The life support system was almost completely gone, if Clara was still onboard then there wouldn't be enough oxygen for her to breath. Only the Time Ladies respiratory bypass system allowed them to continue to function. Even that wouldn't last forever though, in a couple of hours there wouldn't be enough air for both of them.

The younger Time Lady came to a difficult decision, just at the same time her mother did, "I'll direct Clara to this address but maybe you should get out there too", the Doctor suggested, "the quicker this is dealt with, the better".

The red head knew exactly what the Doctor was doing, on the surface it looked like a simple instruction but really the older Time Lady was ensuring Jenny was safely away from the dying ship. "You could always come with me", Jenny flashed her Vortex Manipulator, "plenty of teleportation space for two?"

The Doctor reluctantly shook her head, "Can't do that, the TARDIS is so weak that you wouldn't be able to lock on to its signature to return". A grim look passed over the Time Lady's feature, "Besides the captain always goes down the ship".

Jenny held back her sadness, the Doctor had already made a difficult decision and it wouldn't do any good getting upset. There was always a chance they could reverse the process that the TARDIS had suffered, that had to be her main focus. She enveloped her mother in a tight hug, "Stay safe", she whispered in her ear.

"You too", the Doctor replied, sending reassuring feelings through their mental link, "now get out of here before I change my mind". Jenny resisted the urge to take her mother with her and quickly teleported out of the TARDIS.

Clara hadn't heard any of this conversation and was still chatting away to Nova and Rigsy. She had avoided mentioning aliens, that was a sure fire way of scaring the teens away. They seemed to be buying her 'Doctor' act, which did make her question why people trusted strangers so easily. Her musing on the human psyche was interrupted by the Doctor, _"There's a similar energy signature at a property in Bewick Road. I've sent Jenny out to investigate, you can meet up with her there"._

The school teacher tried not to let on that she was getting a message through her ear, although it was very tempting to snap back that she had no idea where that was. An encyclopaedic knowledge of the streets of Bristol wasn't something she possessed. Then she realised that there were two locals in her presence. She hadn't wanted to bring them onboard but without them, she might not be able to get to that address quickly enough, "Thanks for the chat but I really must be going, got to visit an address in Bewick Road". Dropping the name of the road into the conversation was a cheap trick. The teens knew that Clara wasn't local and she was dangling the bait in front of their noses.

"Hey that's not too far from me", Nova stated, "and since you're not local, you'll need a tour guide".

"Nova", Rigsy hissed, "you'll get put away for certain if you abandon the others".

Clara had to agree with the reluctant Rigsy but neither of these teens appeared to be the types to care about the authorities too much. "Look Rigs people are missing and if we can do our bit to help then we should. What better way to serve the community then finding its missing people".

Secretly Clara hoped that Rigsy could talk his friend out of this, she didn't want to be responsible for the safety of these two teens, "Alright fine but if Fenton asks, this was all my idea".

"Ain't he a sweetheart", Nova nudged Clara, drawing a blush from the male teen behind them, "come on, it's just over this way".

As Clara and the teen walked towards the road in question, the Doctor came over the earpiece, " _You wanted to be me Clara, now you know how hard my life is"._ The school teacher couldn't help but agree, feeling the pressure of saving the TARDIS, the lives of the people of Bristol and the two teens who she appeared to have taken as her 'companions'. Suddenly pretending to be the Doctor didn't feel like a good idea at all.

 _ **A/N –**_ _So the BBC actually did it then, didn't think they'd have the stones to be honest. For the first time in a while there appears to be some buzz around Doctor Who. You probably know where I stand on the idea of a female Doctor and since you're reading this story I'm guessing you feel the same. Certainly has got my creative gears whirring..._


	36. 10: The House At The End Of The Street

_Chapter 5 – The House At The End Of The Street  
_

With a flash of light, Jenny's Vortex Manipulator dropped her on the pavement of Bewick Road. The young Time Lady didn't think the street had much character, rows of fairly modern terraced houses with small patches of grass that must've counted for a garden in these parts. Lining the street on either side were numerous cars, at least one for every house on the street. Jenny didn't like cars or pollution belching death traps as she liked to call them. They weren't as bad as Clara's motorbike, the red head had rode pillion on that once and that was more than enough for her. This street could've been anywhere in the country and to her, it was an unusual place for an unidentified species to set up shop.

Time was of the essence though and she moved up the street with a sense of urgency. About half way up the road she spotted a Police car parked outside one of the houses. Taking a chance that the local authorities would be investigating, Jenny pushed the wooden gate to the property open. Pulling out her screwdriver she quickly scanned the property, "This is the place alright", she muttered to herself. Jenny's earpiece had been removed following an argument between her and the Doctor about privacy so she would be on her own until Clara got here.

Buzzing the door open with her screwdriver the Time Lady stepped inside. The entrance hall was small with a narrow set of stairs against the wall to her right. To her left was a door which led into the main living room. Cautiously Jenny pushed the door open and took a look around. There was a small brick fireplace on the far wall with an imitation electric fire underneath. Near the window was an unusual suspended chair attached to the ceiling with a metal chain.

Above the fireplace were a number of pictures showing a young couple with a very young child. Jenny smiled at the huge grin on the baby girl in the picture before taking a look at the man and woman, trying to remember the footage from 'Clara Cam'. Neither looked familiar to the red head so she would have to wait until Clara and her teenage friends arrived.

The only other room downstairs was the kitchen and there was nothing unusual there, other than an orange so mouldy that it could almost be classed as a different species. Jenny made her way up the creaking stairs to the upper level. The bathroom and the master room were also devoid of anything alien, leaving only one room left to explore. Judging by the decor of the room, this was the young child's nursery.

The Time Lady nudged aside some stray toys and leaned over the empty crib. It was then that she noticed a few dark marks on the wall behind the crib. Pushing the white wooden structure to one side revealed numerous black lines snaking their way across the wall and down towards the floor. The lines looked too thin to be made by a paint brush and the pattern seemed too random. Jenny pulled the carpet up and noticed that the pattern continued onto the floorboards.

Tentatively Jenny reached out towards the pattern, hoping that a simple touch of the wall would eliminate several possibilities like rising damp or woodworm. To her surprise the walls felt warm, not scolding hot but a pleasant temperature. Her touch lingered for a few seconds, a deep frown now etched across her face, "What the hell?" she mumbled, she must've been mistaken but for a brief second the wall had pulsed.

Snatching back her hand like she had been burned, Jenny plunged her hand into her jacket and pulled out her screwdriver. The sonic device pulsed with a low hum as the Time Lady ran her hand over the wall and floor. Initial readings confirmed what the TARDIS had found, identical energy in this room and the tunnel from the centre of the city. Unfortunately there was nothing in the screwdriver's database that matched the readings. Considering her screwdriver used the same technology as the Doctor's and that had been gathering information for centuries, that was a big problem.

"Hello, Police", an authoritative female voice called from downstairs, "I know you're in the house so come out".

A sudden sinking feeling washed over Jenny, "Great", she grumbled, pocketing her screwdriver.

Outside the house Clara, Rigsy and Nova were crouched down behind one of the parked cars. They had seen the Policewoman enter the property and hidden before she could spot them, "Do you know her?" the teacher asked the pair of teens.

"Just cause we're doing community service, you automatically assume we know every officer in the city", Nova snorted indignantly. Clara though merely stared at the girl, a solitary eyebrow raised. Under the glare of the brunette, Nov slowly crumbled, "PC Forrest, nice as far as rozzers go but wouldn't hesitate to slap the cuffs on us".

Clara watched as Rigsy nodded solemnly at his friend's comments. The teens seemed nice enough as she didn't want them to go to prison for her, _"We need to get inside Clara",_ the Doctor said impatiently through the earpiece, _"there's much more at stake here than a couple of criminal records of some teenagers"._

Grumbling at the Doctor's attitude but grudgingly admitting she was correct, Clara pulled the psychic paper out of her bag, fiddling with it nervously, "Look I need to get in", she began, "you should get back to the tunnel before that Fenton bloke misses you".

"No way", Rigsy replied quickly, "we're involved in this now and we're seeing it through until the end", his female companion nodded firmly in agreement.

" _Humans, not sure if your natural curiosity is remarkable or ridiculous sometimes",_ the Doctor mumbled in Clara's ear.

Ignoring the flippancy from the Time Lady, Clara straightened up and followed after the Police officer with her new companions close behind. She paused at the door, psychic paper at the ready and practiced the confident swagger she was about to use on the officer. Nudging the door open she stepped inside, only to find that the entrance hall was empty. Frowning slightly, she entered the front room but that too was empty, "Where did she go?" Rigsy whispered to Clara.

"Not sure", the teacher replied, the kitchen door was open so she could see there was no one in there, "maybe you should wait in here, I'll go check upstairs". Clara turned around only to bump into a very familiar red head, "Jenny, what are you doing here?" she gasped once she had recovered from the shock.

"Same thing you are", Jenny stated, "sneaking around trying to avoid getting arrested". The Time Lady looked passed the school teacher and waived at the stunned teens, "You must be Rigsy and Nova, good to finally meet you".

The two teens looked inquisitively at Clara, wondering how this stranger knew their names, "Guys this is Jenny", the teacher began and glanced over at the Time Lady, wondering how best to describe their partnership, "Jenny's my assistant", she suddenly blurted out the first thing she could think of.

Jenny wasn't too happy at being labelled as an assistant and flashed a dangerous glare at the brunette. One person though found the situation very amusing, " _Ha, assistant",_ the Doctor snorted through the earpiece, " _that'll teach her for mocking earlier"._

"Doctor Oswald here sent me ahead to investigate", Jenny stated coolly, "perhaps the good Doctor would like to know what her faithful assistant found", there was a biting emphasis on the word 'assistant' from the Time Lady.

Clara nodded slowly, knowing full well she was going to be made to suffer by the Time Ladies once this was over, "Yes good idea", she began, "what do you have to report?"

The younger Time Lady shot a final glare at Clara before delivering her findings, "There are some weird markings on the wall upstairs, dark veiny lines stretching from the floor to the wall. The weird thing is that the wall's really warm to the touch".

"Dodgy central heating", Rigsy suggested, "these places aren't the best built, cheap council pre fabs mostly".

"No it's something else", Jenny continued, "it's like", she rolled her hand around trying to find the best description before suddenly leaning over and grasping Rigsy's hand. The teen looked alarmed for a moment at the sudden touch, "A bit like this, a body temperature warm". Clara frowned, waiting for some input from the Doctor but the older Time Lady remained silent. The teacher could almost feel her brain whirring from this distance, "Hang on a second", Jenny sharply turned around and looked at the wall furthest from the window. She scurried over, nudging aside a small bookcase in the process, "These markings are the same as the one's upstairs".

Everyone in the room immediately scrambled over to the wall and the same black vein like markings were crisscrossing this wall too, "Freaky", Nova commented, crouching down to get a closer look, "looks like the wall is alive".

Clara's head snapped towards the girl, just as the Doctor spoke up, _"What did she just say?"_

The school teacher repeated the Time Lady's question, allowing the girl to expand on her idea, "These markings, it looks like the back of your arm or legs, you know, all veiny and stuff".

" _Clara scan that wall with the sonic",_ the Doctor instructed and the brunette complied with the request. It didn't take long for the Time Lady to reply, " _Our artistic friend is half right expect that it's not veins and arteries. What you've got on the wall is a perfect two dimensional image of the human central nervous system"._

Clara took a couple of paces back, trying to find a little bit of privacy from the others to communicate with the Doctor. The Time Lady's comment did get her brain working though. The mural which automatically updated, now some strange markings when they knew at least one person was missing, maybe even two, "I hope you're not suggesting what I think you are Doctor", she whispered fearfully.

" _If by that you mean something is sucking three dimension beings into a two dimension world then yes",_ the Doctor confirmed Clara's worst fears, _"if I wasn't stuck inside a collapsing TARDIS, I would be excited. Not every day that I discover something new in the universe"._

The brunette knew that the Time Lady didn't mean to sound excited but she guessed once you reached two thousand years old, learning something new, no matter how grim, was probably exhilarating, "Who are you talking to?" Rigsy asked, inching over towards Clara.

"Erm, no one", Clara bit her lip, hoping that Rigsy brought her lie. She wouldn't get a chance to continue though as something caught her eye on the living room door. It was more black lines, only these only appeared to be moving. One glance to the other wall where the markings were still present confirmed what Clara thought, whatever had been upstairs was now downstairs, _"Whatever you do Clara, don't let it touch you",_ the Doctor barked.

The pattern had slithered off the door and inching towards Clara and Rigsy, "Easier said than done", the teacher muttered under her breath, "Jenny, we've got trouble", she bellowed to the younger Time Lady.

Jenny though had problems of her own, the other set of markings was also on the move, "Keep back", the red head instinctively pulled Nova away. Whatever this mystery force was, it had grown in intelligence. The group was effectively cut off from each other with Clara and Rigsy closest to the window. The door was blocked off and the window now looked like the only escape route. Jenny and Nova had a more pressing concern, a dark black line shot across the floor effectively cutting the room in half, "Think we're going to have to jump for it", the red head said to the teen.

The alien presence had other ideas though. Just as Nova prepared to jump, a few tendrils shot up from the floor in anticipation of her jump, "Don't think that's gonna work", the girl cried fearfully.

Clara and Rigsy had been backed up towards the suspended chair, climbing onto the orange cushions to escape the growing black mass. By now their friends were almost entirely encircled, "Can you zap out?" the brunette shouted over to Jenny. She cried out in alarm as a snake like tendril jutted out towards the chair.

"Using dimension tearing technology in the presence of dimension curious aliens", Jenny mused out loud, "might be too risky". She and Nova were running out of options though, there were only inches of wooden floor free of the growing black mass. If the alien worked out how to extend the tendril more than a couple of inches they would be in trouble, "Wish us luck", she grabbed Nova's arm and quickly slapped down on her Vortex Manipulator, disappearing in a flash of blue light.

For a moment everything was still and Clara could sense the alien's confusion. Based on what the Doctor had said, this species had only just discovered the third dimension. Watching someone manipulate all known dimensions to escape must've blown their primitive minds, "Where did they go?" Rigsy demanded.

"Somewhere safe", Clara replied, "I hope".

Rigsy grabbed hold of the chain attached to the ceiling, "You hope", he shouted, "my best mate just vanished, I'd like a little more assurance than that".

Suddenly the chain jerked and few flecks of plaster brushed their faces, "Got a few more pressing concerns", Clara snapped. The chain wasn't going to take their weight for much longer, "Start swinging towards the window, build up some momentum".

"Are you crazy", Rigsy cried, "the ceiling won't take that kind of punishment".

"Have you got a better idea?" Clara demanded from her pseudo companion. When there was no response, she began to shift her body weight to get them closer to the window. After a few swings she pointed the sonic screwdriver at the window and muttered a small prayer. Pressing down on the button caused the glass to shatter, showering the pair with several small shards. "On the next swing, make a leap for it", she said as calmly as she could manage. Clara could sense Rigsy's nervousness, he had seen his friend disappear just a few seconds ago. Anyone would be reluctant to trust someone after that.

"Rigs", Nova's voice suddenly called from outside, "you still in there?"

The sound of her voice filled Rigsy with confidence and flooded Clara with relief. Buoyed by the survival of their friends, the pair leapt through the broken window at the same time. They rolled onto the piece of dirt that supposedly qualified as a garden, bumping into a pair of heavy boots, "Might have to take Danny up on his training offer", the teacher groaned, feeling her sore ribs.

Jenny reached down and pulled Rigsy and then Clara to her feet. The teacher immediately noticed that Nova looked a little green, "Travelling without a capsule, unpleasant on beginners".

"I've had enough of this shit", Nova swore, still swaying on the spot, "I want to know who the hell you two are and what's going on around here. I want the truth, no fobbing us off with some bullshit excuse".

Clara glanced towards Jenny, who merely shrugged, "Your call, I'm merely the assistant after all", she said bitterly.

"Jenny I'm sorry", the red head stared back but didn't offer a committed response to Clara's apology. She had an awkward decision to make, how much did she want to explain to these two teens? After nearly getting them sucked into a two dimensional world, perhaps they deserved to know the truth, "Alright but firstly I need to introduce someone". She reached into her bag and pulled out the miniaturised TARDIS, "Rigsy, Nova, this is the real Doctor", she said and opened the doors.

The dark brown eyes of the Time Lady were immediately obvious and they were the only thing visible until she took a couple of paces back from the door, "Hello there, I'm the Doctor", she greeted. The teens shared a look, wondering if they had made the right decision by getting involved.


	37. 10: Derailed

_Chapter 6 – Derailed_

Clara watched the two teens curiously as they stared into the miniature TARDIS. The brunette held the blue box up a little higher so they didn't have to crouch down. Fortunately Bewick Road was largely deserted, preventing a potentially awkward moment with unsuspecting passersby, "It's much bigger on the inside", Nova commented.

"Never has that phrase been more appropriate", the Doctor mumbled in response, "are you sure you want answers, knowledge of something like this can be extremely dangerous".

"Positive", Rigsy replied without hesitation, "people are missing and I want to do something to help". His female friend nodded in agreement and both teens looked absolutely unmoving in their resolution.

Clara had to admire the bravery of the pair, however, a small part wanted to tell them to run. All four of them had nearly been taken by whatever was inside the house, they might get so lucky next time, "Alright", the Doctor began, "what if I told you the creatures inside were from another world?"

"Aliens?" Nova asked curiously before she paused. Clara watched as the teen inspected her and Jenny closely, "Are you all aliens too?"

"Just me", Jenny raised her hand, "and my mother inside the box". The red head immediately cut off the inevitable follow up question regarding their apparent age, "Just go with it", she held up her hand, "we don't have time to play 20 questions right now".

The teens were stunned into silence, if they hadn't seen the shadow monsters inside the house they probably wouldn't have taken the Doctor and Jenny's alien status onboard so easily. They were still shaken from the escape from the property, Clara didn't need special Time Lady powers to see that, "Technically I'm not sure if they're aliens though", the Doctor shrugged.

"But you just said-" Rigsy began.

"She does that a lot, trust me", Clara could feel the older Time Lady's glare despite the physical barrier between them, "sorry Doctor, please continue", she added with false sweetness.

The Doctor huffed before carrying on from where she left off, "These creatures are like nothing I've ever seen before. For all I know they could be natives of Earth or visitors from another world", she paused briefly before adding, "we're witnessing the very genesis of a species, isn't that exciting".

The others didn't agree with the Time Lady's enthusiasm, "Exciting, they tried to kill us", Nova snapped.

"Not intentionally", the Doctor responded, "they're used to see things two dimensionally up until now. How do you think humans would react if they found a completely new dimension? I'll tell you how, they would immediately set out to explore everything about the new world as quickly as they could". Clara hadn't thought about it that way until now, were these creatures merely explorers rather than vicious killers? Perhaps this was the only way to communicate with their dimension, "You might've just met their equivalent of Columbus or Marco Polo", she continued, "lovely bloke old Marky, might drop in on him again one of these days".

"So you're saying they're not killers?" Rigsy asked, more in hope than anything, "they seemed pretty dangerous to me".

"They made PC Forrest disappear", Nova added, "did they have a teleport function like that watch of your Jenny?"

This was perhaps the worst part of travelling with the Doctor Clara thought to herself, introducing the uninitiated to the dangerous world that revolved around the Time Lady, "She didn't disappear", Jenny began grimly, "those veiny patterns on the wall, that's all that remains of PC Forrest".

The reality of the situation slowly began to dawn on the teens, at any moment they could suffer the same fate at the Police officer and get sucked into the walls, "Can we get her back?" Nova asked with a small voice.

"I don't know", the Doctor stated and Clara noticed how deflated the Time Lady sounded, "humans aren't meant to exist solely in two dimensions. We might have to accept the reality that she and the others didn't survive the transition".

"But there's a chance they could've?" Rigsy asked in hope.

Clara gave the TARDIS a little shake, reminding the Time Lady to not totally crush the young man's hopes, "I would need more time to study the creatures and their process before committing myself to an answer but if we wanted to reverse the process, we will have to do it sooner rather than later".

"Then what are we waiting for?" Nova asked, "let's get you to the tunnel and show you the others".

The girl ran off in the direction of the underpass with Rigsy close behind. Clara though was a little more sedate in her pace, making sure to carefully store the TARDIS back in her bag before setting off after the teens, _"I remember when I shared their wide eyed optimism",_ the older Time Lady said to Clara through the earpiece, " _I was lying you know, the process is completely irreversible"._

"I know Doctor", Clara replied with an air of resignation, the knowledge that nearly forty people had been killed wasn't enough to shock her. She briefly wondered how she had gotten to his point in her life before deciding not to dwell on these feelings right now. Everyone would need to be at their best if they wanted to keep Rigsy and Nova out of trouble, "Please tell me you at least have an idea on how to stop them?"

" _One or two",_ the Doctor replied, _"unfortunately they both require a fully functioning TARDIS"._

"Brilliant", Clara snorted, "talk to me again once you have something better". She mentally tried to block the connection between herself and the Doctor and seemed to have succeeded as there were no further comments from the Time Lady.

As the group neared the tunnel a sense of foreboding passed over Clara, was she leading the two teens towards their deaths? There were also the other workers in the community service group to consider. They were probably blissfully unaware that they were in any danger from the tunnel, "Lost in thought again?" Jenny asked quietly, "do you really believe they're harmless explorers?"

"It's a lovely thought Jenny but how many apparently hostile creatures have turned out to be misunderstood softies in your experience?" There was silence from the younger Time Lady which was the only answer Clara needed, "Yeah that's what I thought".

The rest of the walk continued in silence until they reach the entrance to the tunnel. Almost immediately they heard some raised voices which they recognised as Rigsy and Nova. There was also the unmistakable grouchy tones of the miserable council worker Fenton, "Listen you pair of hooligans", he began gruffly, "impeding council business and criminal activity, PC Forrest will have your hides for this".

"Forrest is gone", Nova snapped, "that's what we've been trying to tell you".

"Gone, what do you mean gone?" Fenton eyed the teens suspiciously, "what did you two do to her?"

"We didn't do nothing", Rigsy protested, "the creatures in the wall got her, that's why you need to stop painting right now".

Clara noticed that some patches of the tunnel had been covered in a layer of white paint, concealing the shadowy remains of the Bristolians who had been taken, "Are you two on drugs?" Fenton sounded almost gleeful at the prospect of catching the teens doing something illegal, "I'm calling the Police right now to get you tested".

Something told Clara that was her cue to intervene, "No need Mr Fenton, we're already here", the brunette called out in her best 'teacher' voice. She strode confidently towards the council jobsworth and saw that Jenny was doing the same. She hid her nervousness with a false air of superiority knowing that sometimes appearances were more important than actual ability, "Everyone remain calm we have the situation under control", she added.

Despite her confident air, everyone other than Rigsy and Nova seemed a little disbelieving of the air. Clara could understand why, neither her nor Jenny looked like Police officers, "Detective Jenny Smith and my boss Doctor Clara Oswald", Jenny added, "we need everyone to vacate this tunnel as quickly and as quietly as possible".

"Hang on just a second", Fenton injected himself in the conversation, "under who's authority are you acting?"

Clara had to think quickly before Fenton wrestled control of the situation away from her, "UNIT", she blurted out.

" _Great, that's all we need",_ the Doctor grumbled in her ear, " _draggling Kate Stewart and her bumbling baboons into this"._

"Well you didn't come up with anything better", Clara whispered so only the ear piece picked up her voice.

"UNIT?" Fenton frowned, "never heard of it and I've heard of every council body in this area".

" _Seriously how are humans like him allowed to exist?"_ the older Time Lady hissed.

Ignoring the chatting alien in her ear, Clara tried to maintain a professional appearance as Jenny spoke, "Unified Intelligence Taskforce, only those with the correct clearance are aware of us". The red head looked down her nose at the man, "That should tell its own story", she added with a smirk.

"Are you in the business of letting your junior employees talk to people this way?" Fenton questioned although he was clearly rattled. Clara tried to keep a straight face as Rigsy and Nova barely contained their laughter, "Let's see some identification then UNIT, surely you have some of that?"

It was a clear power play and Clara knew it but she was ready for this. Pulling the psychic paper out of her bag, she thought about exactly she wanted Fenton to see before opening the leather wallet, "I think you'll find everything's in order", she stated confidently.

There was a brief silence as Fenton looked at the pad and then at Clara. Unfortunately the school teacher wasn't prepared for his response, "It's blank", he snapped, "who's leg are you trying to pull?" Clara retracted the paper and could see her fake credentials as plain as day. If she could see them then why the hell didn't they work on Fenton, "You've got five seconds to get out of here before I call the real Police", he added angrily.

"I don't understand", Jenny whispered, "why didn't the psychic paper work?"

" _There's only two types of people unaffected by psychic paper",_ the Doctor answered in Clara's ear, " _a true genius or a pudding brain with no imagination"._ Clara tried to withhold her snort of laughter but failed miserably, drawing a glare from Fenton, _"Take a guess which one he is?"_

"Alright fine we're not the Police but we're telling the truth", Jenny pleaded with the man, "you are in great danger if you stay here".

Fenton though merely snorted, "Run along girls before I have you forcibly removed for interfering with government business", he turned away and moved his crew a little further away, hissing angrily at Rigsy and Nova all the time.

As Clara quietly seethed there was a soft chuckle from the Doctor through her earpiece, " _Now do you understand why I get a little cranky sometimes",_ the Time Lady stated, _"I've lost count of the number of times I've been obstructed by narrow minded cretins like our friend Fenton"._

"So that's it, we just give up and leave", Clara could see her new friends closely keeping an eye on her. They were looking to her to help save the day yet here she was, helplessly impeded by a lowly council workman.

Suddenly the atmosphere in the tunnel turned decidedly chilly. Clara's eyes darted towards the overhead lights which were flicking ominously. The school teacher tensed, all of her senses were on alert waiting to see what was coming, "Clara, look at the walls", Jenny pointed at the nearby concrete structure, the new coat of white paint was inexplicably steaming.

It took Clara a few seconds to realise that it wasn't steam coming off the walls but smoke. The paint hissed and bubbled away from the walls and the ambient temperature began to rise again. The still damp paint burned away from the walls as a couple of jagged lines shot out into the tunnel, "They're waking up", Clara cried.

All along the tunnel, faint tendrils of dark energy darted out into the artificially light. Seemingly oblivious to the impending danger were the community service crew. Slowly though Rigsy began to notice the change in the walls and alerted his partner in crime. Clara knew she had to get everyone away from the tunnel and fast. Sprinting towards the work crew she shouted, "Everyone get out of here".

She spotted Fenton turning around, another nasty retort on his lips but even he was silenced by the shadows jumping out the walls. A few of them formed almost humanoid shapes, almost walking along the floor in their direction, " _They're learning and adapting",_ the Doctor stated over the comm. Link.

Clara though caught the sounds of a tolling bell over through the ear piece, "Doctor is everything alright your end?"

" _No not really",_ the Time Lady replied sharply, " _those creatures have latched onto the TARDIS. Unfortunately for me they're fascinated by the multiple dimensions of the old girl"._ Clara suddenly realised that's why the TARDIS had shrunk, in the process of exploring the third dimension the shadows had interfered with the ship. How deliberate that action was the school teacher didn't know.

With everyone out of the tunnel there was now the problem of where to go. With the creatures at home in the second dimension they could easily sink into the ground and reappear virtually anywhere. They needed to get out the open and fast but unfortunately Clara's thoughts were drowned out by a panicking Fenton, "What are those things?"

"The very thing we tried to warn you about", Jenny snapped, "perhaps you'll listen next time". She turned towards Rigsy, "You must know of some good hiding places around here?"

"The goods yard", Nova answered for her friend, "do you really think we can outrun those things?"

A loud screech from the fast approaching creatures, by now resembling a scratchy drawing of a stick figure, gave them no choice, "Nothing good's going to happen if we stay here", Clara answered, "quickly, lead the way", she said to the young woman. They were on the run and with the Doctor struggling inside the TARDIS, things looked bleak for everyone.


	38. 10: Crazy Train

_Chapter 7 - Crazy Train_

Scrambling through some long grass, Clara wondered how her day had gone downhill so dramatically. Just a few hours ago she was contemplating a relaxing evening in the company of Danny, now she was running away from some mysterious and apparently murderous creatures that wanted to suck her into the second dimension. The brunette chanced a quick glance over her shoulder only to instantly regret her decision. Every now and then a large puff of dust and dirt was thrown up by their pursuers and it was clear they were getting closer.

Her new friends Rigsy and Nova were leading the way in the distance with the natural athletic Jenny close behind. Somewhere over her left shoulder was the annoying council worker Fenton with the other members of the community service crew in hot pursuit. Unfortunately there was a straggler towards the rear of the group. The creatures appeared just behind him, showering him with dirt and stones, "Keep going", Clara pleaded with the man. Clara wish though wasn't granted.

The straggler half stumbled in the weeds and that was the opening his pursuers needed. Clara never saw what grabbed him, one minute he was trying to keep his balance only to disappear in a split second. There wasn't even enough time for him to scream as the creatures dragged him into the second dimension. Clara felt terrible but they had to keep running otherwise she and the others would suffer the same fate. The worst part was that she didn't even know his name.

In the distance Clara could see a corrugated iron roof and the very top of a large metal building. Just to the right of her vision was another hill, to which this building appeared to be attached, "It's just down here", Nova cried out, "there's a small drop down to the tracks so watch out".

Clara kept running until she reached the brow of the slope. She slowed her pace slightly and the teacher was glad that she did. Nova called this a small drop but it was more like a sheer cliff face. The gradient down was steep and they wouldn't be able to run down at full pace. Clara contemplated the slide down just as another large clump of dirt was thrown up just behind them, "We need to do something to slow them down", Clara shouted over to Jenny, more in desperation that the Time Lady had an idea than anything.

To her surprise Jenny quickly whipped out her sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the ground. The earth rumbled as a huge sonic pulse pounded into the dirt, forming a huge crack near the lip of the ridge, "That might confuse them for a moment but I don't think it will hold them forever", Jenny stated. "I'll go first and have a quick scout around", she added, "when I give the all clear follow me and quickly". Before Clara or anyone else could dispute her orders, she leapt down with the grace of a gymnast.

" _That's my girl",_ the Doctor said with pride through the com link, _"they grow up so fast"._

"How's things your end Doctor?" Clara asked, the last time she heard from the older Time Lady there had been a tolling bell in the background. That noise had stopped but the teacher doubted that was the end of the trouble for the TARDIS.

" _Oh you know me, I'm a survivor"_ , Clara wasn't sure but the Doctor sounded a little breathless, _"I managed to shake those creatures free of the TARDIS, it was actually really clever of me and I wish someone had been around to watch it"._

Clara knew the Doctor wasn't telling her the whole story. There was one trait the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctor shared, when they were lying they tended to use lots of words in a sentence to distract her. "What damage did they cause?" she decided to try a direct approach to cut through the Time Lady's attempted distraction.

There was a pause, a worryingly long one from Clara's point of view. Eventually the link spluttered into life again, _"Damn you Clara Oswald for being so perceptive"_ , she heard a small chuckle in the Time Lady's voice.

"There's a reason you keep me around", Clara half smiled, wishing that the Doctor could see her.

" _It's either that or fly around alone and that gets pretty boring after a while",_ Clara snorted with laughter, that type of comment was very typical of this Doctor, _"Life support is failing",_ the Time Lady replied honestly, _"even my superior Time Lord biology can't keep me safe forever"._

"Isn't there something we can do?" Clara asked in desperation. She was beginning to really like this Doctor, she certainly wasn't ready to say goodbye just yet.

" _Only one really",_ came the Doctor's response, _"but that's an absolute last resort"._ Clara's heart sank slightly but before she could push the Time Lady details of her plan, Jenny called out that it was safe to descend, _"My life is entirely in your hands Clara",_ the Doctor added, _"and I couldn't think of anyone better for the job"._

Clara digested those words, suppressing a smile at the Doctor's trust in her abilities. She had to remind herself that there were still some homicidal monsters hot on their trail and it's wasn't just the Doctor's life in her hands. Rigsy, Nova and the rest of the crew were also looking to her and Jenny for protection. Once again a heavy weight of expectation fell on her shoulders but she had to put that to one side.

Slowly and carefully she began to slide down the bank towards a set of railway tracks. Fortunately this part of England primary used diesel trains rather than electric rolling stock, meaning that the tracks wouldn't be electrified. The goods sheds appeared to be quiet but not deserted and abandoned. There was the very real possibility that a train could come thundering down the tracks at any second.

Once everyone was down safely, Clara looked around and saw no sign of their pursuers. It was probably too much to hope that they had given up the chase. Her worst fears were confirmed seconds later Rigsy pointed further down the tracks, "Over there".

Clara whipped her head around and spotted three humanoid scribbles flaying their 'arms' around wildly, "Brilliant", Clara snorted sarcastically. Looking around there was only one place they could go to try and escape, "Into the goods shed", she pointed towards the open shed.

"But that's trespassing", Fenton growled angrily.

"Fine, stay here", Jenny snapped before Clara got a chance, "your complaining will only slow us down", she added rudely before marching towards the shed.

Clara chuckled to herself, "She really is your daughter Doctor".

" _Oi I heard that",_ the older Time Lady grumbled, _"I've had an idea Clara, quickly scan the creatures with the sonic"._ The teacher muttered about the Doctor's lack of manners but did as she requested, _"Good I have the data, all I need to do is find the parts I need"._

"Dare I ask what you're working on Doctor?" Clara asked.

" _Let's just say two can play at their game",_ the Time Lady answered cryptically. Clara frowned but decided to leave the Doctor to plan whatever she had in mind. If the life support systems in the TARDIS were as critical as the Time Lady thought, she would need space to concentrate.

With a grumbling Fenton in tow, Clara and Jenny led the group into the shed. The metal structure was six tracks wide with a couple of empty trains awaiting maintenance. The place was illuminated with some powerful spotlights dotted around at strategic intervals. "Hello?" Clara nervously called out but there was no response. At least if the creatures did follow them into the sheds there wouldn't be any unsuspecting victims.

"This place is served from the main line through that tunnel", Rigsy pointed towards a dimly lit spot in the distance, "if we follow that we'll come out near the station".

"Yeah but do we want those things following us towards the city", Nova added, "wouldn't it be best to contain them in here somehow?"

Clara kept looking around, almost oblivious to the silence inside the sheds. It was only after a few seconds that she realised everyone was waiting for her input, "Oh right", she snapped back into the present, "erm yes good idea". She glanced towards Jenny and whispered, "Why didn't you come up with that?"

"Just marvelling at the old fashioned trains", the red head looked around, "burning dead animals to prove fuel, such a human thing to do". Clara quickly glanced at the community service group who weren't in on Jenny's true identity. Fortunately no one seemed to hear young Time Lady except possibly Fenton but he had such little imagination he would never put two and two together, "It's alright though, the Fossil Fuel Wars will soon put pay to your reliance on such antiquated technology".

It took Clara a few seconds to realise what Jenny said, "Oh yeah that's not something I'm meant to say", Jenny shook her head, "it's only because I read about it during my recent studies-".

"You probably should stop there", Clara interrupted, "in that big soldier brain of yours, is there the knowledge of driving one of these antiques?" she asked.

Jenny paused to think for a moment before shaking her head, "Guess the ones who programmed the propagation machine forgot to include the instructions for an early twenty first century diesel train". She too began to look around the shed, there were various power tools which hadn't been secured away but those wouldn't be of much use against creatures who would slip into the second dimension, "How often do trains run through here Rigsy?" Jenny asked.

"Not very often", the teen replied, "this time of the week I wouldn't expect anything to come through here".

"Yeah you'd know all about that", Fenton grumbled, "I can still see your mark all over this place". Clara followed his eye line and spotted a graffiti tag on a nearby pillar, "Draining valuable funds away from our private enterprises by cleaning up your flith".

" _Tell him to stop talking or I'll toss him into the nearest black hole",_ came the grumbling voice of the Doctor through Clara's earpiece.

The teacher chuckled to herself at the comment, drawing a glare from the council employee, "Something funny?" Fenton sniffed.

"You're a very short sighted man Fenton", Clara sniped, "you're complaining about some paint on a wall when there's something trying to kill us". She took another look at the tag, "It's not too bad actually, if you ever want a job in London Rigsy we're looking for a new art teacher at my school".

"Bet that little hoodlum never even went to school", Fenton snorted, "good for nothing piece of scum".

Fortunately for the group the rest of his rant was suddenly cut out by Jenny, who placed a couple of fingers on Fenton neck and squeezed hard. The man's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he crumbled to the group, "There that should take care of him for a while", the red head smiled.

"Jenny!" Clara cried, "that's just great, now we're going to have to drag him around with us".

"Ah I thought about that", the red head smiled. With strength belying her small stature she picked Fenton up and threw him over her shoulder. Spotted an open door on a nearby train she bundled him through the gap and slammed it shut, "There we go, now all we need to do is drive this train out of here".

"Firstly you're pretty strong", Nova marvelled, "secondly I thought you said you couldn't drive a train".

Jenny shrugged, "I've flew a jumbo jet recently, can't be much different".

"Yeah but it crashed", Clara reminded the Time Lady, drawing a couple of alarmed looks from Rigsy and Nova. A chilly wind blew through the shed, something which Clara had come to associate with trouble. She looked around and spotted they were suddenly very alone, "Hang on where have the other two gone?" she asked.

Along with Fenton, Rigsy and Nova there had been three others in the community service group. One had been taken by the creatures en route to the shed but the other two had made it successfully. Now though they were nowhere to be seen, "This can't be good", Rigsy commented.

Clara backed up towards the others as several dark lines began to spring up from the train tracks. They began to converge into a large black mass which was currently shapeless, "They're growing stronger by the minute", Jenny gasped, "who knows what they can do if left unchecked". Tendrils from the mass spat outwards towards the parked train, running up and down its length, "It's scanning the train", the red head added.

"What for?" Nova asked, she soon got her answer though as the mass suddenly solidified into the shape of a train, "sorry I asked".

"We need to run", Clara pointed towards the tunnel, "how long is that tunnel?" she asked the teens.

"Long enough", Rigsy replied, "there a service point about a hundred metres down though. A small room where workers can shelter as a train passes, there's several of them dotted along the tunnel".

The scribble edged train lumbered towards them, the formerly two dimensional creatures still struggled to move in the three dimensional world. Given the rate they were learning though they couldn't bank on it staying that way for long. The quartet sprinted towards the tunnel as fast as they could before the creatures worked out just how a train could move.


	39. 10: End Of The Line

_Chapter 8 – End Of The Line_

Clara had never been more grateful to enter a dark tunnel in her life. Darkness meant that the scribble train wasn't thundering towards them at a terrifying pace. Unfortunately the pitch black had forced the quartet to slow to a crawl. If they stood any hope of finding this service room, they had to shuffle along at a steady pace. Patience though wasn't a trait that Jenny possessed, "Can we move this along before we get squashed by Thomas the Tank Engine".

The English teacher rolled her eyes, she was going to ban Jenny from watching the children's channels during her next visit, "Shouldn't the noble and brave Time Lady be leading this expedition", Clara countered.

"I'm protecting the rear", Jenny snorted, flashing her sonic screwdriver towards the direction they came from, "energy levels are building, I think we're about to have company".

Nova squeezed next to Clara, flashing the light from her phone down the tunnel, "Do you see that?" Clara squinted through the gloom, occasionally catching a glimpse of something metallic when the girl shone her torch in the right place, "We're nearly there", the teen cried.

The group picked the pace but the convoy came to a sudden halt, "Do you feel that?" Rigsy whispered.

Clara focused her senses as Jenny placed her hand against the tunnel. The brunette could feel a faint rumbling through the floor and judging by the wide eyed look on Jenny's face, she could feel the same thing, "Train!" they exclaimed simultaneously. A sense of urgency flashed through the quartet and Clara pushed her way to the front, they needed to get into this room quickly.

Reaching the door, Clara pushed down on the handle but it wouldn't budge, "Locked", she mumbled. She fumbled with the Doctor's sonic screwdriver but couldn't find the correct setting, "This thing really needs to come with an instruction manual", she hissed under her breath.

Seconds later Jenny arrived at her shoulder, her magenta tipped device ready. Wordlessly she buzzed the door until the lock clicked, "Quickly get in", the Time Lady said urgently, ushering Rigsy and Nova into the room. Clara looked past the red head and spotted a rough edged light heading quickly in their direction, "You too Clara", Jenny pushed the teacher through the door before following herself moments later. Just as the door slammed shut, the train created by the alien monsters thundered through.

Dusting the cobwebs off her top, Clara took a quick look around. The room was cramped and lined with metal shelves filled with a variety of tools and maintenance supplies. It was a useful spot to catch their breath but they couldn't stay here forever, "Great, now what?" Rigsy asked the question everyone was thinking.

" _Clara, place the TARDIS onto the nearest shelf",_ the brunette heard the Doctor state through the ear piece. Reaching into her bag, Clara put the miniature TARDIS in a spot where everyone could see. Moments later the doors opened and Clara spotted the dark brown eyes of the Time Lady, "Well, this is a bit of a predicament isn't it?" the Doctor said calmly.

"Predicament", Nova sniffed, "we're trapped underground in a supply cupboard with some murderous scribbles metres away".

"Scribbles, don't like that name", the Doctor replied, "terrible name for a new species, we should probably think of something better".

Nova groaned and grabbed the walls of the tiny TARDIS, "Did you hear a single bloody word I said?" he cried into the open doors.

There was a momentary pause before the older Time Lady continued, "I might be old but I'm not deaf", came her dry response, "panicking and shouting won't get us out of here but this might". The Doctor's eyes disappeared to be replaced seconds later with her arm together with some resembling a remote control.

Clara watched as Jenny took the device from her mother's hand. The jumble of loose wires and rough cuts of metal showed that the Doctor had thrown it together in a hurry. The teacher recognised the primary source for the home made device though, "Is that the TV remote from my room?" she asked.

"I had to make do with whatever I could get my hands on", the Doctor replied defensively, "it still needs a few pieces though which you should be able to source from this room".

"I can give it a try", Jenny said giving the control a curious look, "it would help if you told us what it did".

"Those creatures have developed the ability to bring two dimensional creations into the third dimension, right?" the older Time Lady lectured to the group, "In theory this will do exactly the same thing, assuming I've wired it up correctly".

"And if you haven't?" Clara asked, fearing the answer to her question.

The Doctor paused before reluctantly answering, "It will microwave your insides like they're a cheap frozen lasagne". Clara sighed, wondering why she bothered asking those types of questions anymore.

"Let me get this straight", Rigsy began, eying the device with reverence, "you've created something that can animate drawings from an old remote control and some scraps of wire?"

"Don't forget one very large battery", the Doctor began, "which reminds me, Jenny I owe you a new iPod". The red head groaned in disappointment when she spotted a familiar piece of shiny metal on the back of the controller, "I'm sorry but needs must", the older Time Lady added defensively. "Dimensional engineering is nothing really, it's something I learned during my first decade at the Academy".

"All right we get it, you're impressive", Clara cut off the Doctor's ego boosting session, "can this also reverse whatever those monster bring to life?"

"Course it can, once Jenny's connected the batteries terminals together it should be fully operational", the Doctor stated, "find a spare piece of metal and use your sonic to weld them in place", the raven haired woman instructed.

As Jenny focused on completing the control, Clara looked around the room for anything else useful. After a few moments she spotted a sports bag sitting in the middle of a shelf. She pulled the zip open and to her surprise, several spray cans of paint fell out, "Which one of you do these belong to?" she asked the teens.

Rigsy frowned as Nova slowly raised her hand, "You store your things in this room too", he asked the girl and nodded in confirmation. Rigsy didn't verbally respond, instead he pushed aside a few old boxes to reveal another sports bag, "Great minds really do think alike", he said with a small smile.

Clara couldn't tell in the dim light but she was almost certain that Nova blushed, "I really like your work", the girl replied, "I was trying to add something to your work on the Anderson Bridge when I got caught".

"The exploding star pattern?" Rigsy asked the girl, "You've got some talent Nova", he added, drawing a shy smile of appreciation from the teen. Clara smiled knowingly to herself, there was something about blossoming of young love that warmed her heart.

The Doctor though wasn't in the mood for romantic sentiment, "Yes we can all have a good flirt later", she sniffed, "humans and their hormones, honestly". Her dark eyes flicked towards Jenny, "Have you finished wiring up the device up yet?"

"Pretty much", Jenny pocketed her screwdriver and held up the remnants of her handiwork, "all we need now is something to test it on". A split second several spike patterns burst through the wall and door, narrowly missing everyone in the room, "I really shouldn't have said yet", Jenny leapt away from the jagged edges, backpedalling towards the rear of the room.

Clara gasped in shock as another spike passed inches away from her face. It was a strange sensation, the patterns themselves were hot near her skin but the presence of the creatures had chilled the room significantly. The teacher knew one thing though, she didn't want to get touched by any of them, "They seem much more aggressive than normal", she commented, backing into a shelf and knocking a box over in the process.

"It's the TARDIS", the Doctor shouted through the open doors of the blue box, "the multi-dimensions are driving them into a frenzy. I'm going to enter full lockdown to stop them-".

"You haven't got the power to reverse that Mum", Jenny cried, dodging the spike nimbly.

"I can't allow the TARDIS to fall into their hands", the Doctor said firmly, "I'll find a way to restore the TARDIS, in the mean time focus on stopping those creatures". The doors slammed shut and Clara noticed the small light on top of the time ship slowly dim.

A sudden burst of static flashed through Clara's ear, the same one where the ear piece was located, "Doctor", she said out loud but there was no response from the older Time Lady, "whatever the Doctor did has cut off the ear pieces".

"She cut our mental link too", Jenny added. Clara sensed the concern in the red heads voice but still she was grimly determined to fend off the scribble spikes, "Alright I think I've dodged enough of these things". Jenny pointed the control at the door and pressed one of the buttons. It flashed with sparks but appeared to have some effect on the creatures. Almost instantly they ceased their attack and retreated into the walls, leaving behind a jagged, zigzag pattern behind.

Clara slowly regained control of her breathing, the excess adrenaline ebbing away from her system. Carefully she approached the wall and allowed her hand to hover near the surface, "Still warm", she commented. She turned her attention to the door, only to find that it had disappeared, "Erm I think we've got a problem", she said to Jenny.

"I'll say", the Time Lady responded, "that energy burst shorted out my connection, I'll have to reattach the battery".

"Got a slightly bigger problem than that", she grabbed Jenny's hand and pulled her towards the door.

Immediately the red head let out a gasp of surprise, "It's gone", she carefully touched the blank space where the door had been, "when the creatures tried to enter they must've manipulated the very dimensions of the door".

"Yeah could've figured that out", Clara snorted, "how do we get out of here now?"

As the pair were talking Rigsy and Nova approached the blank wall, "Maybe we can make a door", Rigsy commented.

"Don't be thick Rigs", Nova snapped, "this wall must be several inches of concrete, we'll never break this down in a million years".

Rigsy though merely smiled and grabbed an errant spray can from the floor, "No I mean make a door". Clara watched the sense carefully waiting to see what the teen said next, "That thing mimics those creatures right?" Jenny nodded slowly, "If I paint an exit, could you bring it to life so to speak".

Clara instantly caught onto what the young artist was suggested and judging by the bright smile on Jenny's face she had too, "Oh Rigsy I would kiss you but I don't want to make Nova jealous". The two teens looked away from each other awkwardly, bringing a soft chuckle to Clara's lips, "The remote should be ready to go, do your worst Rigsy".

The teen nodded and carefully painted a rough outline of a door onto the wall. The moment he stepped away Jenny pointed the remote at the 'door' and pressed down on the buttons. To Clara's and everyone else immense relief, the painted door became three dimensional. Nova gently touched the door knob and gave it a twist, "It opened", she cried with joy as the door swung open.

"Then let's get out of here before those creatures come back", Clara grabbed the tiny TARDIS off the shelf and led the group back out into the tunnel. Looking around there was no sight of the monsters that had been chasing them through the city, "It's too quiet, I don't like this", she commented.

"They're still here", Jenny's gaze was firmly in the direction of the train shed they had originally entered, "but my little display of power has given them something to think about". She pointed in the opposite direction from where she was looking, "Let's go this way".

The group did as instructed and picked their way over the train tracks. To their surprise there was a little more light in this part of the tunnel thanks to a few emergency lights. They had been walking for a couple of minutes with no obvious follow up attack from the creatures and Clara thought they were in the clear. Suddenly she felt the same rumbling feeling through the ground as earlier, "I think they're coming again", she stated, trying to brush off the sense of déjà vu.

A loud horn though pierced their thoughts, "I don't think it's the creatures", Rigsy pointed down the tunnel as a very real train light shone through the gloom.

"I thought you said there wasn't a train due", Jenny cried in panic.

"There isn't usually but they must be running a freight train through this tunnel as a short cut", the teen replied, "quickly there's another storage room over here".

Clara saw the door on the opposite side of the tracks to their current position. Dashing in that general direction, she suddenly tripped over one of the rails in the gloom. The TARDIS flew out of her hands as she crashed down hard onto the concrete sleepers in the middle of the tracks. Clara could feel the stony ballast digging into her palms but the only thing she had eyes for was the TARDIS.

The light of the train was getting closer but Clara was certain she could swipe up the TARDIS and roll out the way before the train arrived. Ignoring the pain from the cuts to her hands and knees she scrambled towards the small blue box. She leapt towards the TARDIS with her hands extended, making sure to roll towards the tunnel way. Her plan was perfect except for one small flaw, she failed to grab the TARDIS.

Clara, now safely off the tracks could only watch in horror as the blue box vibrated violently as the train closed in. She could try again, the train wasn't that close she told herself. She scrambled again only to be pulled away into the alcove by Jenny with less than a second to spare. The train thundered past and Clara could only gape as the TARDIS disappeared from view, surely destroyed by the speeding locomotive. The teacher allowed a couple of tears to fall as she thought about her friend and the horrific end to her long existence.


	40. 10: The Boneless

_Chapter 9 – The Boneless_

Clara stared at the empty train track, a numb feeling slowly spreading through her body. The TARDIS was gone, surely destroyed by the speeding freight train. Even if the Doctor received advanced warning of the impact there was no chance of escape. The miniature time ship offered no feasible exit, there was no back door and no teleport function. A simple train in a Bristol tunnel had succeeded where thousands of species had failed, the Doctor was gone.

The rumbling of the offending train slowly faded away and Clara became aware of a strong pair of arms wrapped around her torso. She recognised the leather jacket, the arms belonged to Jenny. It must've been the red head who pulled her away from the tracks. The brunette turned her head just enough to catch Jenny's eye and the young Time Lady struggled to hide her emotions. Anger, grief and sadness were painted over her face as clear as day. Any faint hope that the Doctor could've survived were wiped out with that quick glance.

The pair stayed on the floor for several moments, stung into inaction by the shock of the accident. Clara gently rubbed Jenny's arm in an attempt to offer some comfort. The English teacher might've lost a friend but Jenny had lost her mother and just a few months after finally tracking her down. Out the corner of her eye she spotted Rigsy running a light over the tracks, "No sign of the blue box", he quietly announced, "are you sure it hit the train?"

"Trust me, I saw it", Jenny answer firmly, a simmering anger bubbling underneath her brief sentence.

"But wouldn't there be some kind of debris?" Nova joined in the futile search for the TARDIS, "there's absolutely nothing left behind. Surely something that big on the inside, you'd expect something to be floating around".

Clara felt Jenny's grasp loosen and the Time Lady slowly got to her feet, "The TARDIS was practically out of power", she said grimly, "it might've been the most advanced ship in the universe but at the moment of impact it was exactly how it appeared on the outside, just a small wooden box". She paused to check the inside of her jacket, Clara could see the remote control the Doctor made sitting inside a pocket, "Small box against several tons of trains, it would've been turned into splinters instantly".

"Then why did you stop me?" Clara finally regained her voice, "I was so close I know I could've made it in time". That image would haunt the teacher for the rest of her life, the TARDIS tantalisingly within reach. If only she had another second she could've made it back or if she hadn't tripped on a sleeper.

"No you wouldn't have", Jenny stated with no much certainly there left little room for doubt, "I could see it in your timeline, if you went back you would've been killed too". The Time Lady pressed down on her sonic screwdriver and it emitted the familiar whining noise, "Mum wouldn't have wanted you to perish at the same time, it was the least I could do for her".

Jenny marched out of the alcove without waiting to see if anyone was following her. As she did so Clara spotted a very familiar look in the Time Lady's eye. It was a look she shared with the Doctor and usually meant they were about to do something extremely reckless, "Jenny", the brunette called out in desperation, "where are you going?"

"To end this", the red head called back, "I have the means to put these beasts back into the second dimension and I'm going to do exactly that".

Clara recognised the tone of the Time Lady as one of righteous anger. The previous Doctor she travelled with was prone to bouts of righteous anger, often when the Daleks were involved. It was a dark path to follow and Clara was certain that the Doctor wouldn't want her daughter to start walking that road, "You can't kill them", Clara responded, "they deserve a chance".

"They've had plenty of chances", Jenny replied coldly, "and look where it's got us".

"The Doctor wouldn't want you to do this", Clara pleaded with the young Time Lady, her voice filled with desperation.

Jenny paused in her march but didn't look back, her shoulders were hunched over and Clara could almost hear the Time Lady's thought process. The brunette hoped that she reached the logical part of Jenny brain and that part would override her grief. That hope quickly evaporated with the Time Lady's next words, "Yeah, well Mum isn't here", she said with quiet voice, "and we know who's fault that is". Jenny resumed her brisk pace towards the exit of the tunnel with only the light of her screwdriver to guide her.

In the half light of the tunnel, Clara turned around to face the teens, "Come on we have to stop her doing something she'll regret".

"She might have a point though", Nova countered, "look at how many we've lost today".

"There is always another way", Clara replied firmly. The teacher began to trot backwards as she imparted some final words to the teens, "She certainly wouldn't approve of her daughter taking revenge against another species so are you coming to help me or not". Clara didn't wait for a response, Jenny already had several metres on her already. She couldn't afford any further delays if she wanted to stop the young Time Lady from doing something she would regret for the rest of her lives.

Despite the poor light Clara didn't stumble once on her sprint through the tunnel, an irony that wasn't lost to her as she emerged into the train shed. This shed looked almost identical to the one at the other end of the tunnel except there were just two tracks here and no parked trains. Unfortunately Jenny had already found the creatures, they were positioned at the open end of the tunnel. They had assumed an almost human like form and numbered around a dozen and they were moving menacingly towards the Time Lady, "You know what this does", Clara heard Jenny call out, "well it does more than shift things between two and three dimensions".

"Jenny whatever you're about to do, stop", Clara pleaded one last time with the Time Lady.

If the Time Lady heard Clara's word then she ignored them and continued with her threat, "I could put you into a single dimension world, you'd be nothing but a singularity, a dot on a page if that makes it easier for you to understand". The creatures stopped moving, taking in the words of the Time Lady, "Do you even comprehend what you've done, I spent my entire life searching for the Doctor and now she's gone", Clara could see a couple of tear tracks on Jenny's face, the small amount of sunlight illuminated them against the dust on her face.

"Technically they didn't destroy the box", Rigsy offered as a counter argument.

"It's still their fault", Jenny cried, "you've taking everything from me, smashing my hope into tiny pieces".

Clara was about to offer a counter argument but she heard something in the air, something that sounded vaguely like a materialising TARDIS. She was about to dismiss it as a random gust of wind until the noise began to get louder and more distinct. Clara turned around and spotted a faint outline of a blue box appearing just behind Rigsy, "Please let this be real", the brunette pleaded to whoever would listen.

It took a few more attempts that usual but it was definitely a full sized blue Police box that was materialising before her very eyes. The familiar grinding noise stopped and for several seconds the TARDIS sat there with no signs of life. Clara's heart began to sink, perhaps the Doctor hadn't survived but the old time ship had. Her fears were soon alleviated when the doors opened and the Doctor stuck her head out, "Well, wasn't that exhilarating", she grinned without a care in the world.

The raven haired woman straightened her jacket and carefully closed the TARDIS door behind her, "I wouldn't recommend it though, locking down a TARDIS and diverting all power to the siege circuits". She paused at a reflective surface and vainly checked her appearance, "The final defence mechanism of a TARDIS, when without shields and threatened with total destruction a siege mode will activate. This forces an emergency dematerialisation even when low on power. The boost of energy was all I needed to sever the link to my new friends over there and fix the size issues".

Three stunned faces stared back at the Time Lady, Clara wasn't even sure whether anything the Doctor said was even possible, "I reversed the polarity of something", the older Time Lady rolled her eyes, "it's not true but if it helps you understand then that's what I did".

By now the Doctor was a few feet away from Clara and the brunette didn't know what to do. Just a few minutes ago she though the Doctor was dead, again. Now here she was, living and breathing right in front of her. She shut her brain down and followed her instincts which were to wrap her arms tightly around the Time Lady. To her surprise the Doctor embraced the hug without hesitation, "Don't scare me like that again you stupid old woman", she sniffed into the Doctor sleeve.

"Less of the old Clara", the brunette could almost feel the smile on the Doctor face as she delivered those words.

The Doctor carefully released her embrace on Clara and turned her attention towards Jenny. There was no anger or sadness on the older Time Lady's face, in fact the Doctor's features were surprisingly soft. Almost like she had sympathy for Jenny and the impossible position she'd been exposed to. The dark haired woman stood directly in front of her daughter, carefully relieving her of the remote control. No words were exchanged between the pair, verbally at least. Clara suspected the Time Lady's were communicating telepathically.

After several moments the Doctor gently kissed Jenny on her forehead before gripping her tightly on the shoulders. Clara could see Jenny's eyes moistening and she really wanted to be a fly on the wall during their silent conversation. Jenny wiped her eyes and slowly stepped back, standing side by side with Clara. The brunette nudged the Time Lady and gave her a small smile in an attempt to reassure the red head. Jenny was still a little shaken up by her experience and merely nodded dully in response.

Turning her attention back to the Doctor, Clara noticed the older Time Lady tossing a small white ball in the air with her left hand. The object was roughly the size of a golf ball and Clara wondered what the Doctor was planning. The raven haired woman stared out the creatures for several moments before finally talking, "You've done a lot of damage", she stated coolly, "killed a lot of innocent people. That alone is enough to put you on my bad side".

The creatures remained motionless but sometime told Clara they understood the Doctor perfectly, "Not content with that you cripple my ship and very nearly killed me". The older Time Lady stopped playing with the ball and focused solely on the creatures, "But you did something almost unforgivable, you tried to kill two people I care about more than anything in the universe". Clara's heart nearly skipped a beat, she never knew the Doctor held her in such high regard.

"However, I'm willing to believe that you acted as curious explorers rather than vicious invaders", the Doctor continued, "so I'm offering you one final chance. Leave this place, find somewhere comfortable and live in harmony with the people around you". A heavy pause fell over the shed as the Time Lady allowed her words to sink in, "I suggest you take this warning because there won't be another one".

The Doctor turned around and meandered in Clara's direction, at the same time she resumed throwing the ball in the air. Without warning the creatures screeched loudly and charged towards the Time Lady. In a flash the Doctor spun around, tossed the ball in the direction of the monsters and pointed the remote control at the ball, "I warned you, I tried to reach out to you", the Time Lady cried angrily, "you had the chance to live freely and I hope that you will never forget that".

Clara shielded her eyes as the small ball pulsed with light as it seemed to suck the monster in, "I am the protector of this world and you are not welcome here", the older Time Lady focused on the rapidly disappearing creatures, "I am the Doctor and I name you the Boneless". The newly christened Boneless gave one final defiant cry before disappearing completely. The ball dropped to the ground, emitting a large amount of smoke in the process. The Doctor bent down and picked up the ball, "Ooh, oww, hot", she cried and quickly bounced the ball between her palms.

"What-", Rigsy stammered numbly, "what the hell did you just do?"

"Trapped them", the Doctor replied, "this is a multi dimensional, multi form prison. Absolutely no escape from here", the ball must've been cool enough to handle as the Doctor carefully pocketed the white object, "there's an almost infinite number of dimensions to explore in there which should keep them quiet for a few thousand millennia".

Clara watched as the Doctor approached Jenny and gently embraced her, "That's the difference Jenny even in victory I showed them mercy, what you threatened them with was total destruction". The red head nodded mutely in response, "It was a lesson I took a very long time to learn Jenny, that's why I'm not angry with you".

"So that's it then, it's all over?" Nova asked optimistically.

"For now", the Doctor sighed, "although if history's taught me anything it's that the next threat is just around the corner". A small grin appeared on the older Time Lady's face, "Now do you fancy a look inside the TARDIS?" The two teens nodded enthusiastically and Clara could only smile at their youthful exuberance. With the threat of the Boneless seemingly over and the TARDIS restored, her main focus was getting back home and getting back to Danny as quickly as possible.

 _ **A/N –**_ _I say that I'm going to finish this series before doing anything else...then promptly work on other things for another 3 months. Oops. I promise there is only one more chapter to come of this story before we move onto the series finale._


	41. 10: Comfortably Numb

_Chapter 10 – Comfortably Numb_

It seemed like a lifetime ago that Clara stumbled into this Bristol tunnel, staring at strange looking humanoid patterns on the walls. Now she was back, the TARDIS was restored to its rightful size and the Boneless safely stored away in their own personal prison. Unfortunately it was too late for the majority of the community service crew. They found Fenton hidden inside one of the abandoned train carriages. By his own admission, the council worker passed out before the Boneless had a chance to drag him into their dimension.

He was the lucky one though, apart from Rigsy and Nova the rest of the crew were gone. The Doctor explained that none of the victims would've survived the transition into the second dimension. She reassured them that none of the deceased would've suffered, death was almost certainly instantaneous.

Standing just in front of the TARDIS, Clara watched along with the others as Fenton scrambled away as fast as his legs would carry him. The impossible nature of the time ship was too much for his unimaginative mind to handle, "It's not fair you know", Nova sighed, "all the people that have died but he's the one who survives".

"They do say that insects and cockroaches can survive practically anything", the Doctor snorted, drawing a few sharp looks from the humans, "too strong?"

"No for once I actually agree with your savage assessment", Clara half chuckled, "maybe this will be a turning point for his life".

"I doubt it", the older Time Lady shrugged, "a close minded human like him will write this experience off very easily, probably blame it on paint fumes or something". The Doctor turned to the teens, rubbing her hands together, "I don't think that will be a problem for you two".

Clara eyed the young couple carefully, "Yeah tell us, what's next on the agenda for Bristol's own Bonnie and Clyde?"

A shy look passed between the pair and after a few seconds they hesitantly reached for each other's hands, "We're just going to take each day as it comes", Rigsy stated, "you've opened our eyes to something much bigger than graffiting buildings for fun".

"So no more petty acts of vandalism?" Clara asked the couple although she half knew what their answer was going to be.

"Well I wouldn't go that far", Nova began, "I'm sure we can fit in one last project, maybe a collaboration".

"That sounds like an excellent idea", the Doctor beamed, "well we must be off, I'm already late dropping Clara off for her date as it is, I really don't want to stand in the way of another love story".

The teens smiled shyly at that statement, "Goodbye Doctor", Rigsy began, "maybe come back and see us sometime".

The Doctor nodded and gave the young man a brief smile before leading Clara back into the TARDIS. Jenny was waiting inside for them, the younger Time Lady was a little subdued after the tunnel incident and still looked a little distracted. Clara glanced in her direction and flashed a look of concern, Jenny smiled tightly and mouthed 'I'm fine' in response. The brunette wanted to push further but if daughter was anything like mother, it wouldn't get her any further. Quiet brooding seemed to be the way of the Time Ladies.

Instead she turned her focus to the Doctor who was just in the process of taking off, "That was unlike you", she began, "encouraging them to commit a crime". The Doctor allowed herself a small smile and began typing into the keyboard, "I know vandalism is hardly the crime of the century but usually you warn people away from a life of crime".

"Ah but sometimes the ends justifies the means Clara", the older Time Lady swung one of the monitors around. On screen was several news reports centred on a graffiti piece that sold for several million pounds. According to the article the work had been painted on the side of a train carriage and was praised for achieving a feeling of movement whilst stationary. Clara wasn't an expert on art but she liked the piece, "This is the only piece of commercially available art credited to Jovian Rigson and Natasha Overton", the Doctor continued, "painted around three months into our relative future".

It only took Clara a few moments to link the names to the two people they had just left behind, "Rigsy and Nova, they became millionaires?"

"Well not immediately", the raven haired woman answered, "these articles are dated around ten years from now. They enrolled into Art College together before setting up a school teaching inner city kids how to draw and paint. Their story became the subject of a television series and shot them to fame so when the carriage was discovered, the value instantly skyrocketed".

Clara gave the older woman a sly smile, "Did you know this all along", the Doctor could barely contain her smug smile, "you did didn't you?"

"Maybe not the entire time", the Time Lady admitted, "being stuck inside the TARDIS gave me some time to research our new friends".

Reading the articles further, a question began to form in Clara's mind. This work of art was essentially a vandalised train carriage. If this was done in just a few months time, how come the train company hadn't taken it away to be cleaned? Surely this train wouldn't have been circling the West Country for ten years before getting sold. She quickly got her answer, "Hey listen to this", she called out. The Doctor and Jenny huddled around the screen, "The priceless work was nearly destroyed by Great Western Railways, only to be saved by a Bristol City Council employee".

"Well would you look at that", Jenny whispered, looking at the unmistakable grizzled face of Fenton, "maybe we did open his mind a little bit".

"For the first time in two thousand years, I'm almost speechless", the Doctor smiled, "and do you know what, I'm actually happy to be proven wrong just this once".

"Modest as always Doctor", Clara teased, "now since the Earth is safe once again, perhaps you can get me home in time for my date?"

The Doctor grimaced slightly, "Ah yes that's going to be a little tricky", Clara frowned at the older Time Lady, "it seems the Boneless interfered with more than just the physical dimensions of the ship. They've also damaged some of the time circuits so I can aim for the correct time and place but there's no guarantee we'll make it".

"No change there then", Clara commented dryly, earned a pointed look from the Doctor, "can't you repair it or replace the circuits?"

"This is a Type 40 TARDIS Clara, spare pieces can't be found just lying around", the Doctor flipped a couple of switches and the ship lurched slightly, "oops overshot it slightly, Jenny grab the other controls", she pointed her daughter towards the opposite side of the console, "perhaps this will require both of us".

Clara muttered a silent pray as the Time Lady's attempted to land the ship somewhere near their destination. The last thing she wanted was to spend the next few weeks randomly navigating the Time Vortex in an attempt to locate London. After several minutes the rotor slowed down and she heard the familiar groaning noise, "There, that's should be about right", Jenny announced.

"About as close as we can get I think", the Doctor added which didn't fill Clara with confidence.

Nervously she approached the door, chancing a quick peek outside. To her immense relief she was safely in the front room of her flat, "Wow a perfect landing, must be the day for miracles", Clara stated with a small smile, "so until next week then".

"Clara", the Doctor called out firmly, "you really should tell Danny about this". The brunette groaned internally, she had hoped that the Time Lady had forgotten about that, "leading a double life will catch up with you one day".

"You'll regret it if you miss something important", Jenny added.

"Alright no need to gang up on me", Clara said defensively, "I'll tell him tonight, I'll make sure it's the first topic of conversation during dinner".

The Doctor didn't look overly convinced and Clara waiting for another outburst, "Alright I believe you", the teacher frowned, she wasn't expecting her to give up that easily, "Clara I'm your friend, you don't have to answer to me", the Time Lady added, "just take my advice", she chanced a small smile. Clara nodded and carefully closed the TARDIS door behind her. It barely had time to click into place before the ship groaned into life and dematerialised into the vortex.

With the TARDIS gone Clara noticed how dark her flat was for the first time. Almost immediately she bumped into the corner of her sofa, bruising her knee in the process. Swearing loudly the English teacher grabbed the first thing which came to hand from the coffee table, the television remote. Whilst she was waiting for the television to warm up she checked her mobile phone for any messages or missed calls. Slightly disappointed to see an empty screen she gingerly moved through her dark living room to find the light switch. It was then she noticed the answering machine blinking, a waiting message on her land line.

Before Clara got a chance to listen to the message the television burst into life, _"Good morning and welcome to BBC Breakfast. It's 8am on Thursday-"_ , the rest of the announcement was lost on Clara as she focused in on the time, "No, it can't be 8am", she whispered in denial.

With the television illuminating the room Clara was able to reach her curtains without tripping over. Throwing them open she was greeting by the bright morning sunlight, "Doctor I am going to kill you", she growled. Not only had she missed her date, she had also missed the whole night. Now she was going to have to go to work without sleep. This wouldn't be the first time but after their original adventure and side trip to Bristol, Clara had been awake for over 24 hours.

Dashing into the kitchen Clara quickly turned on her coffee machine, hopefully a black and very bitter drink would get her through the morning. Quickly stuffing some bread into the toaster, the teacher dashed into her bedroom to change into something a little more professional. If she was going to make it to Coal Hill in time, this would have to be the quickest breakfast and outfit change in history.

After emerging from her room, Clara spotted the flashing answering machine. Pressing the button she jogged into the kitchen to quickly butter her toast, _"Hi Clara it's Danny",_ the brunette's interest was suddenly diverted from breakfast to the message, _"I got your message last night but when I tried to call it wouldn't connect for some reason"._ Probably because I was running through a series of train tunnels in Bristol she thought.

The message continued, " _Anyway I'm free tonight, there's a new Tex-Mex place opened on Old Street that I thought we could try"._ Clara paused for a moment, after being awake for 24 hours and travelling through several galaxies there was a very good chance she wouldn't be much company by tonight. _"I'll see you in a bit anyway but just thought I'd ask whilst it was in my head",_ a small smile crossed Clara's lips, Danny could be so forgetful sometimes. _"That's it so I'll see you in about an hour, I lo-",_ Danny's words were abruptly cut off by a loud screech followed by a soft thud and the message suddenly ended.

With a piece of toast still in her mouth the English teacher returned to the machine and checked when the message arrive, "Only an hour ago, I'll try phoning him". With the handset pressed to her ear Clara suddenly noticed the TV. There was a breaking news flash emblazoned across the screen. Her heart skipped a beat as she read the bulletin, ' _Man in critical condition after accident in Shoreditch'._ The report didn't mention any names, there were tens of thousands of people in the area, it didn't mean something happened to Danny. She would feel much happier if he answered his phone though, her call had failed to connect for the sixth time.

Unable to shake off this feeling of dread, Clara turned off the television and grabbed her jacket. If the news report wasn't going to give any details she would just have to go to the scene for herself. When she opened her door, Clara found two Police officers waiting outside with a very grim look on their faces. Suddenly her legs felt like lead and she was frozen to the spot, "Clara Oswald?" one of them asked.

"Y-yes", she managed to stammer out.

"You're listed as an emergency contact for Danny Pink", Clara knew what was coming but willed the officer not to say it. If she didn't hear the message then it hadn't happened, "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you but there's been an accident. You'll have to accompany us to Saint George's Hospital immediately". It felt like the floor had been pulled out from underneath Clara, she wanted to cry but in that moment no tears came. Numbly she nodded and quietly followed the officers.

 **END EPISODE 10**

 _ **A/N –**_ _When I published this story back in August 2016 I never imagined I would still be writing it in January 2018. Sorry to say that lack of motivation together with a lack of time has hampered the update of this series. Good news though this story is done so I will be moving onto the finale very soon. Before that though I need to re-read everything because its been so long I've forgotten what I've written._

 _Also I held a poll a very long time ago asking for you to decide the fate of Danny Pink. You chose for him to live and I will abide by that...doesn't mean its going to be an easy road for Clara and Danny in the finale. It you want to find out how the series ends, set up an author alert to ensure you don't miss out._


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